Castle Walls
by Notjustanotherperson
Summary: She's falling apart. Everytime she's hit in the face with a slushie or called another mean nickname, she can feel her facade breaking. She pretends it doesn't hurt but it's getting harder and she doesn't know how long she can keep it up.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N I haven't decided if I should continue this or leave it as it is. Tell me what you think. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it! The song is Castle Walls by T.i. ft. Christina Aguilera. **

**Disclaimer: I own neither the song or Glee. If I did, Rachel would have a solo in every episode.**

_Everyone thinks that I have it all_

_But it's so empty living behind these castle walls_

Everyone thinks they know Rachel Berry. They think she's a diva, spoiled, self-centered, confident and that she has loving fathers. That's just the facade she's built up over the years. They don't know her at all.

She feels empty inside. At school, she gets slushied, called derogatory names, pushed into lockers but worst of all, she has no friends. Everytime she sees a glee clubber standing in the hallway, slushie dripping down their face and clothes, they always get ushered of to the bathroom by a fellow member.

Nobody ever rushes to her aid. She's always left standing in the halls, drenched, cold and alone. She's sure she's seen at least Finn snicker as she rushes to the nearest bathroom, attempting to hold her head high before breaking down in one of the stalls.

She knows why they don't like her. They think she hogs all the solos in glee club and cannot accept having her spotlight threatened. They're right about that, but they don't understand why. Her dad was so happy the day she joined glee club, he said it was a good way to show off her talent and he even praised her when she got her first solo. She doesn't get praised often.

Then there was the day she lost a solo. She remembered the slaps and yells that echoed through the house. _You useless girl! You're not trying hard enough! You're never going to be a star, you're never going to be Broadway, you're just a waste of space! Go up to your room and reflect on what you did wrong!_

She did and she knew what she had done wrong. She hadn't tried her best, so everytime her spotlight is threatened, she does whatever it takes to make sure it stays hers. Unfortunately for her, it doesn't always work and that wasn't the last time her dad tried to "knock some sense" into her.

Her dad. She tells people she has two and in a way, she does. There's the kind and affectionate one, the one that buys her gifts on her birthday and ruffles her hair lovingly as he leaves for work. Then there's the angry and violent one, the one that has expectations she'll never meet and punishes her when she doesn't.

The only thing is, they're just two sides of the same person. Hiram Berry. She doesn't know what to expect from him and that scares her. He scares her.

Then there's Shelby. She doesn't even want to start with Shelby.

_These castle walls_

_If I should tumble, if I should fall_

_Would anyone hear me screaming behind these castle walls_

She's falling apart. She knows it. Everytime she's hit in the face with a slushie or called another mean nickname, she can feel her facade breaking. She pretends it doesn't hurt, she tries to hold her head high as she walks down the hallway but it's getting harder and she doesn't know how long she can keep it up.

She's never letting anyone in again, behind the walls she's built up so carefully to protect herself. She can't trust anyone but herself and she's learnt that the hard way.

Finn. He kissed her in the auditorium and then he left, telling her not to tell anyone, then he toyed with her feelings to get himself a scholarship and that was before he dumped her to find his inner rock star. He broke her heart more than once.

Kurt. She thought he was actually trying to help her by giving her a makeover. How wrong she was, she thinks bitterly. He made a fool of her. A clown.

She could go down the list of people who've let her down but she doen't want to waste her time. It's too long and only reminds her of how naive she was. She's not anymore.

Nobody cares. Not the glee club, not her dad, not Shelby. She wonders, if she were to crash and burn, would anybody give her a second thought? Or would they just leave her with pitying glances and carry on with their miserable lives?

_There's no-one here at all, behind these castle walls_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Thanks for the reviews, they make me giddy with glee. (Pun totally intended) This is set in season 2 around Special Education but Rachel never got together with Finn at the end of season 1. **

_Breathe in. _

_Breathe out._

Rachel stood in front of her bathroom mirror trying to calm her nerves. Today was the day the solo for Sectionals was going to be assigned. She was terrified of the consequences should she lose it and needed a minute to collect herself before heading downstairs and having to see her dad. He would know something was up and he wouldn't be happy. He said Broadway stars didn't get nervous.

She walked into the kitchen and yelped when she was caught off guard by her dad in a tight hug. "Good luck with glee club, honey. Let me know when you get the solo. Love you." He said as he kissed her on the top of the head before letting her go and grabbing his keys. She breathed out shakily as she heard his car pulling out of the driveway and left the house without breakfast. She didn't think she'd be able to keep it down.

She hardly paid any attention to her lessons and the day seemed to pass in a blur. Before she knew it, it was time for glee. She wandered down the hallway towards the choir room, but stopped in front of the door. She unclenched her clammy hands and took a deep breath when suddenly, pain erupted all over her small body. It felt like a thousand tiny needles poking at her while her eyes stung and she shivered at the sudden cold as laughter erupted around her.

She gasped as she realized she had been slushied and tears began to mix with corn syrup. She mentally kicked herself for allowing her showface to break and she hurried into a nearby toilet, hoping that everyone had been to busy making fun of her to see her cry. She didn't want to give them that satisfaction.

She hadn't noticed the pair of concerned eyes following her as she disappeared through the door.

The moment Rachel stepped into the toilet, she locked the door and hot tears made their way down her cheeks. She kicked a stall door as hard as she could, releasing her anger and relishing in the sound it made as it bounced of the stall walls before sinking to the floor, head in hands.

She sobbed as she drew her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth in an attempt to comfort herself. _It's not like anyone else will, _she thought bitterly. Gathering herself as her sobs turned into sniffles, she stood up and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

She hated, no _despised_, her life. She couldn't take it anymore, it was far too painful. The constant humiliation, everything. Everything hurt. She clenched her fist as she snarled at the girl in the mirror and slammed it down on the sink as she screamed in frustration.

"Rachel! Rachel, are you okay in there? You're late for glee." Rachel huffed in annoyance as Mr Schue's voice came from behind the locked door. "I'm fine, Mr Schue. I just got slushied, I'll be there soon." She snapped as she wiped her face. She knew he wasn't actually concerned for her well being. _No one is, _a voice reminded her.

The room fell silent as she walked in 10 minutes later. She was still wearing her stained sweater and she could feel everyone's stares on her as she made her way to her usual seat away from the group but she held her head up, putting her showface on.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, we can get down to business. Sectionals is in a week and I've decided to spice up our performance a bit." Rachel swallowed hard but didn't let any emotion show. "Mike, Brittany, you're going to be showing off your killer dance moves-"

"Wait, so they're going to be dancing in front of me while I sing my solo?" Rachel interrupted impatiently, not letting the worry in her voice be heard.

"Actually Rachel, you're not going to be singing a solo." Mr Schue's voice faded off as Rachel felt her heart almost stop and she slumped back in her seat. This couldn't be happening.

She spent the rest of the lesson ignoring him, choosing to think of ways to get the solo, only realizing glee had ended when everyone started to gather their things and head out of the room. She knew arguing with him would be futile but she desperately needed the solo. Her solo.

She saw her dad's car in the driveway when she reached her house and sighed heavily. She dragged her feet through the door, her heart threatening to beat right out of her chest. She knew what was coming.

She dreaded what was coming.

"So how did it go, princess?" Hiram asked as Rachel made her way into the living room. "I...I didn't get the solo." She muttered quietly, bracing herself.

The first slap echoed through the house and she brought her hand up to her cheek to soothe the stinging pain. "Useless! You're useless!" He yelled punctuating it with a second, harder blow.

"I'm...I'm sorry! I'll talk to Mr Schue tomorrow! I'll get it, I promise!" She sobbed as she held the now throbbing cheek. He pulled her forward by the collar of her sweater until she was face to face with him and looked at her in disgust. "Don't make promises you can't keep, bitch." He growled as he threw her to the floor and stormed out of the house.

She crawled to the wall and craddled the wrist which she had landed on and most likely twisted. She lowered her head to her knees and cried. She couldn't take it anymore. She just couldn't.

**A/N Not pleased with this chapter but I hope it was passable. Thanks for reading, please review, they make my day, especially with school and tests coming up. Also, 'bitch' is probably the most vulgar word you'll find in here, it was hard enough to type.**

**Just a question, should Quinn or Kurt to reach out to Rachel?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews and alerts, they make me happy especially after nearly failing 3 tests this week. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own Glee. If I did, I wouldn't have to dream about being able to attend Glee Live.**

Rachel didn't know how long she had been crying before her sobs turned into soft sniffs. She tried to move her wrist to wipe the remaining tears on her cheeks but whimpered in pain as she moved it. Her wrist was starting to swell visibly and a bruise was forming. It was definitely sprained, she decided. She was about to get to her feet to retrieve some ice to put on her injury when she heard the door being opened and heavy footsteps echoing through the house.

Panicking, she ran up the stairs to her bedroom and locked the door behind her before her dad could get to her. She didn't know if he was still angry and she wasn't taking any chances. Not after the last time.

She lay down in bed. Both mentally and physically exhausted, her breathing quickly began to even out as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

"_Daddy, tell me a story! Please?" Rachel pleaded, as she pouted and got down on her knees. Hiram rolled his eyes at his daughter's dramatics before picking her up and placing her under the covers. "Of course, sweetheart." He said as he smiled adoringly at her and gave her a kiss on the cheek._

_He lay on the pink bed with his head on the headboard, allowing his six year old daughter to rest hers on his chest. He stroked her soft brown hair as he started his story. _

_Rachel listened as attentively as she could, trying to keep her eyes from closing. She breathed in the comforting smell that always seemed to cling to her father and sighed contentedly as she allowed her heavy eyelids to close._

"_There once was a little girl. She loved to sing and dance and act..." He chuckled when he saw that the tiny girl was asleep and carefully stood up to make his way out of the room._

"_Daddy, why did you stop?" Rachel mumbled sleepily as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "Go to sleep, honey." He said quietly as he bent down to place a kiss on her forehead and adjusted her blanket before moving to the door._

"_I love you, daddy."_

"_I love you too, princess. Always."_

"Rachel, open this door!"

She woke up with a start as she heard her father pounding on her bedroom door. She jumped as he yelled again and hesitantly made her way to the door, opening it.

She flinched as she was quickly enveloped in a bone crushing hug and remained tense in Hiram's arms, not returning the gesture.

"Princess, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have said that, I was just so upset! Please forgive me, I won't do it again. I'll try harder to control my anger next time." Rachel sighed softly. She had heard it all before. They were empty words, she knew that and yet she accepted them everytime.

"Rach, your wrist!" He exclaimed as he pulled away and took her limp wrist in his hand. "I'll go get some ice. I'll be right back." The small brunette nodded wordlessly as she watched him run down the stairs.

She missed her daddy. She wished he were still here, giving her kisses as he tucked her into bed and told her stories about little girls with big dreams that always came true. Sure, she was a little old for that but they were the greatest memories from her childhood. Her eyes teared up as she realized that's all they were. Memories. They were in the past and she was living in the present.

She hated her dad. Still, there was a part of her that hoped the man she knew as a child was there, deep inside, and that one day, he would surface again. Her eyes traced his face, the wrinkles at the corner of his tired brown eyes, his slightly large nose, his thin lips as he placed the ice pack on her wrist. He looked the same so why couldn't he act the same way?

She shook her head as she told herself to stop. He wasn't the same. His eyes weren't warm anymore, they were dull and cold. His lips were always set in a frown, they never smiled. He had changed.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt his strong arms around her. They no longer made her feel safe, instead her heart would jump and that made her sad. What had changed everything? When had her purest love and adoration for the man turned into fear and hatred?

"I love you, princess." She heard him whisper in her ear and it made her cringe. _Liar, _she thought bitterly.

"I...I love you too, dad." She said hesitantly as she lifted her uninjured arm to hug him back. _Liar, _the voice in her head reminded.

_Maybe not entirely, _she wondered as she felt something familiar in her heart as he squeezed her lightly and kissed her forehead. She leaned further into his embrace and breathed in his scent. _Maybe not entirely._

**A/N I'm still really torn as to who should reach out to her. I'll probably be bringing in both in the end but I can't decided who'll help her more. Both sides have been well reasoned and you'll find out who it'll be in the next chapter. Thanks for all the reviews, I love hearing all your opinions! Hope this was okay, just wanted to show more about Rachel and Hiram.**

**Ps. Someone please send my school the definiton of a holiday. Apparently they think it involves a week of extra compulsory supplementary lessons that end later than normal school and loads of work.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N This is the same day but not from Rachel's POV. Hope you enjoy!**

_RIIINNNNGGGG!_

The alarm blared to life rudely at 6am sharp. A groan of annoyance was made from under the blankets as a hand shot out searching for the device. When the hand failed in it's mission to silence the guilty alarm, the owner proceeded to retract the limb and hide in the mess of sheets to escape having to rise for school.

"Quinn Fabray, shut that thing up before you wake the whole neighbourhood!" The blonde ignored the words, pretending to be asleep until the sheets were pulled back to reveal a very mad Judy Fabray still in her nightgown and tangled hair. The older woman, pointed to the bathroom door and turned the alarm off, much to Quinn's relief, before she exited the room.

Quinn flopped back onto the bed and sighed heavily, rubbing her aching head. She was exhausted. She had barely slept the night before, if at all, her thoughts lingering with a certain small brunette. She had noticed something strange about the girl lately but she just couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

As she walked towards her locker, Quinn immediately spied Rachel walking down the hallway towards her. She seemed to be in a daze as wandered to her first lesson of the day and Quinn couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with the normally focused and overly enthusiastic brunette.

* * *

><p><em>Later that day...<em>

Quinn was rushing out of her last lesson and hurrying to her locker. Her books were nearly about to topple out of her arms and she knew she was going to be late for glee. As she unloaded all her books, she ran down the hallway towards the choir room but stopped when she saw David Karofsky walking in the opposite direction, slushie cup in hand, eyes narrowed determinedly at the small figure standing at the door of the choir room.

Before she could register what was about to happen, the cold liquid made contact with Rachel's face and it began to soak through her sweater. The blonde stared helplessly as a crowd gathered around the other girl and laughter echoed through the hallway.

Quinn fully expected the brunette to hold her head high and gracefully hurry to the nearest toilet but was given an unwelcome surprise as she saw Rachel's face crumple and the slightest bit of barely noticeable tears fall from her eyes. Her heart clenched painfully as the diva lowered her head, dashing through the crowd to the bathroom.

The crowd quickly dispersed and when the coast was clear, she hurried to the toilet door only to find it locked. Placing her ear to the wood, she heard a loud bang followed by heart wrenching sobs. Needless to say, she was scared as to what was going on inside the bathroom.

"Mr Schue! Mr Schue!" Quinn called out as she noticed the spanish teacher making his way towards the choir room. "Mr Schue, Rachel got slushied just now and I heard her crying inside! The door's locked and-" Suddenly, a scream ripped from the toilet and both easily recognised it as Rachel's.

"Okay, Quinn, I'll handle it. Thanks, go for glee, I'll be there soon." Quinn turned and made her way to the choir room but didn't go in until she heard Rachel assuring Mr Schue that she was fine.

She waited impatiently for the brunette and was horrified as she walked in looking almost worse than she had earlier. Her eyes were red and swollen with dark bags under them, her sweater was still stained, her hair was clumped together with dried slushie and she was visibly shivering as she took her seat far away from everyone else.

Quinn wasn't paying attention as Mr Schue began to speak, instead finding her attention drawn to Rachel who spoke before slumping back in her seat. She watched Rachel's emotionless face and distant eyes.

She was worried. The girl's eyes were usually warm and expressive but now they were cold, hard and dull. Quinn remembered that she used to almost be able to see Rachel's soul through her eyes and felt bad for ever relishing in seeing pain and fear in them. The diva's face was pale and her lips were stretched in a thin line, she was no longer that natural tan colour that Quinn had always admired and her ever present beam was absent. Something was wrong and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

When glee was dismissed, she stayed silent in her seat until Rachel finally stood up and dragged her feet out the door. Taking her time to gather her things, Quinn pondered over her thoughts. Why was she so concerned about Rachel? Maybe it's because she noticed how bullying had affected Kurt. His life had been made so miserable that he had almost transferred. _At least he has friends, Rachel doesn't have a soul to turn to_, Quinn thought sadly. She didn't know when she had grown a heart but now it wouldn't stop hurting as she remembered the diva's face when she was hit with the slushie square in the face.

She shook her head as she wandered out of McKinley High School and entered her car. She started it and drove until she came to a medium sized house with white walls, wooden doors and a small garden. She felt like slapping herself, she had unconsciously driven to Rachel's house.

It looked like the epitome of perfect. A perfect house where a perfect family would stay. It looked too perfect for Quinn's liking, too much like her own house.

Sighing, she decided that she may as well check up on the brunette and slowly made her way out of the car. She nervously exhaled a shaky breath as she stopped at the front door, raising her fist to knock on the door. She hesitated. _What if one of her dads answers the door? She's probabaly told them what I've done. Worse, what if she thinks this is just some ploy to humiliate her? No, I have to think this through. How can I make her see that I really want to help her? _

She was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard faint yelling from within the pristine walls. Quinn pulled her raised fist back to her side and turned around. She felt like kicking herself as she got back into her car and left. She couldn't believe her cowardice. Something was going on with the small brunette and she was going to help her. She just needed time.

**A/N I want to thank the three people who reviewed the last chapter, hope I'll get more this time! Let me know what you thought of this. Kurt will be involved later. **

**Ps. I'll be going to LA for 2 weeks so I won't be able to update then but I'll see if I can get one out before I leave. Can't believe I'm finally going to see what America looks like! If only Glee Live was still there.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews and alerts! Longest chapter I've ever written.**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Never have, never will.**

_Smile. Smile. Smile. _

Rachel repeated the mantra in her head over and over as she stepped into McKinley High School. She walked down the hall towards her locker, head slightly lower than usual but with the same fake smile plastered on her face.

"Manhands."

"Treasure trail."

"Hobbit."

"Midget."

The small girl felt her smile dropping a bit with every degrading nickname that flew her way as she walked past a group of cheerios. As she finally reached her locker, she quickly took the books she needed for first period, hoping to make it to the toilet before her tears spilled over.

_BANG!_

The brunette jumped as her locker door was suddenly slammed shut and she turned around only to come face to face with none other than Santana Lopez. The sight of the latina was enough to make fear rise up in Rachel's throat and she struggled to keep it at bay.

"Santana, what may I help you with?" She asked trying to keep her voice as calm and even as possible, cringing when she heard the slightest tremble at the end and dug her fingernails into her palms.

She saw Santana smirk before the taller girl replied, "Oh nothing, Rupaul, just making my daily rounds as HBIC of this school. You know, reminding you losers where you belong. Face it, Yentl, nobody likes you, we all just pretend to bear with you because you have an ounce of talent and once the glee club sees that I'm that much better of a singer at Sectionals, you're going to become just another freak. See you around. On second thought, I'd rather not." Santana knocked into Rachel roughly as she left, causing the poor girl to go flying into the lockers and falling to the ground with a loud thump.

Rachel didn't see students gathering around her, pointing and mocking or the bell ringing as she sat on the floor with her knees tucked tightly against her chest, voices swarming her mind.

_Freak._

_She's right._

_Nobody likes you. _

Rachel brought her hands to her ears, hoping to silence the voices but their assualt continued.

_Loser._

_Untalented._

_Manhands._

_Treasure trail._

_Hobbit. _

Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she shook her head, willing them to stop.

_Midget._

_Rupual._

_Yent-SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!_

She dug her nails into her scalp in desperation, rocking back and forth on the floor of the deserted hallway. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and she fliched unconsciously until she noticed another pale, feminine hand extended in front of her.

"Come on, diva, get off that floor. It's filthy, trust me, I know." Rachel hesitated as she recognised the high pitched voice. Kurt.

_You can't trust him._

Getting up on her own, Rachel eyed him suspiciously. "Are you okay?" He asked, withdrawing his hand when he noticed it had been rejected. "Fine." Rachel said emotionlessly, before turning and hurrying down the hallway, quickly disappearing out of sight.

Kurt frowned. He had witnessed what had happened earlier and saying that the sight of the small singer curled up on the floor, almost tearing her hair out as she mumbled to herself and cried worried him was a gross understatement.

* * *

><p>Quinn sat in US History, fiddling with her pen as she tuned out the teacher. The sound of the door opening caught her attention and she raised her head only to see Rachel Berry walk into the room nearly half an hour late.<p>

The girl's eyes were red and puffy, her hair was in a mess and Quinn noticed that her cheek looked slightly swollen and discoloured despite the make up that had been applied heavily. As Rachel took a seat diagonally across from her, she spied her bruised wrist. She had a pretty good guess of what happened to the brunette and she prayed she was wrong.

Making up her mind to talk to the diva later, she spent the rest of the lesson occassionally glancing up at her and mulling over how she should start the conversation.

* * *

><p><em>After glee...<em>

"Hey Rachel, wait up!" The blonde yelled as she spotted Rachel about to walk out of the choir room.

Hearing the cheerio's voice, Rachel's heart plummeted and she plastered her famous smile onto her face before turning around slowly. "Yes, Quinn?"

Quinn didn't fail to notice that while Rachel's smile reached her ears, it certainly didn't reach her eyes but decided to let it go. Her mind suddenly going blank, Quinn said, "uh...Are you okay?" Realising what a stupid question it was, Quinn felt like slapping herself in the face but settled for waiting for an answer from the shocked brunette.

"Of course I am, Quinn. Thank you for your concern but I really must be on my way now." Rachel replied, doing her best to appear normal. Attempting to leave before the conversation could continue, Rachel hurried out of the room and into the hallway until she felt a hand on her arm, preventing her from going any further.

"Rachel, wait. I'm not done. I've noticed something lately...about you, actually...erm, I know it might be hard for you to believe but I-I really want to help you...to be there for you." The cheerio stuttered out.

_It's a lie. Don't believe her._

"Why?" Rachel asked suspiciously.

"I-I can't explain it but...I just do, Rachel. Please. I'll prove to you that I'm not tricking you! Just give me a chance. I've seen your wrist, the change in your eyes, your smile. I've seen things, worrying things and I just-"

"Save it, Quinn. I'm fine and I don't need your help or anyone else's for that matter!" Rachel snapped as she pushed past Quinn who had moved to stand in front of her after releasing Rachel's arm and stormed out of the empty school.

**A/N Thanks for reading! Please leave a review, they make my day! Sorry for any mistakes, I'm rushing this out before I have to leave for the airport at 4.30 am. Hope you enjoyed this, let me know what you thought!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews and alerts! Hope this won't disappoint, I kind of rushed this out before I leave America tomorrow.**

"So I was going to buy the black top but then this women..." Mercedes huffed as she noticed that once again, her best friend wasn't paying attention to a word she was saying. "Kurt, what are you staring at?" She asked, exasperatedly.

Oblivious to the girl in front of him, he kept his eyes trained on a tiny brunette across the hallway. Her head wasn't held quite as high as usual and her eyes were tracing the tiles on the floor as she hugged her pink file close to her, almost defensively. He sighed as he watched her shoulders slump as a cheerio mocked her and she quickly disappeared into the sea of students making their way to the cafeteria.

"Kurt!" He snapped out of his thoughts as a hand was waved in front of his face and he came face to face with a very annoyed Mercedes. "What is up with you today?" He shook his head as he followed her to get lunch and they sat down with the rest of the glee club except for Rachel.

"Hey guys, I know this is really random, but...but have any of you noticed something off about the diva lately? I mean, does anyone else think she's acting strangely?" He watched as most of the glee clubbers stared at him before shaking their heads or shrugging their shoulders. He saw that Quinn had opened her mouth, almost about to say something when she was cut off by Santana.

"Look gay boy, none of us really give a damn about the dwarf. In fact, I'm kind of thankful that she's been quieter lately, my ears needed a break from her ear piercing voice." This statement was met with several nods of approval and he turned back to the blonde only to see her shut her mouth and stare at her salad.

Excusing himself, Kurt walked out into the deserted hallway. He couldn't believe that not one of them was the least bit concerned about Rachel. The small girl was almost a shell of her former self and that was worrying.

The pale boy was pulled from his thoughts by a hand on his arm, preventing him from moving further. Turning around, he was met with the sight of Quinn, biting her bottom lip as her eyes scanned the hallway, making sure it was empty.

"Yes, Quinn? I do believe this is the first time you've spoken to me this year. What do you want?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips and glaring at the cheerio. "Kurt, I just wanted to say that I agree with you, something's really off about Rachel and I want to get to the bottom of it."

Kurt chuckled humourlessly and Quinn's eyebrow rose. "Quinn Fabray wants to help Rachel Berry? What's your angle, blondie? What evil scheme are you trying to pull?" Quinn was taken aback by his tone and said defensively, "I'm not trying to pull anything! I know it's hard to believe but I'm worried about her and I want to help, okay?"

"Why didn't you say anything earlier then? I know you were about to but after Santana spoke, you just backed down."

"You don't understand, Kurt. If I said something, everyone would have-"

"Of course, this is about your reputation, isn't it? You're so scared of what everyone will think if you show Rachel concern that you'd rather just let it go. Honestly, I don't trust you but face it, Quinn, if you really want to help her, you have to be willing to sacrifice your popularity. Think about it." He said before turning on his heel and walking away, leaving Quinn to her thoughts.

_Was Rachel worth it?_

* * *

><p>"Mr Schue?" Rachel asked as she entered his office. He looked up from his papers and gave her a nod before gesturing for her to take a seat in front of him. "Yes, Rachel, what is it?"<p>

"I need the solo for Sectionals."

"Rachel, we talked about this. You're not getting the solo and that's final. You're a good singer but you're not the only one, you have to learn to give others a chance." He said running a hand through his hair, he knew she wouldn't let it go so easily.

"Please, Mr Schue. I need it! You don't understand how important it is for me to have that solo!" The brunette said, raising her voice slightly in desperation. Her dad wouldn't be happy if she failed again.

"I'm sorry, Rachel, but no means no."

"Please, I'll do anything!"

"No."

"Why?"

"I already told you why. We need to showcase others!" He said, running a hand over his face in frustration.

"That's ridiculous! This is a competition, Mr Schue, and we need to ensure that we win! We can't rely on second rate singers, we need the best!"

"Look Rachel, you have a terrible attitude and I'm tired of it! You are not getting the solo and that's that." He yelled as he slammed his hand onto desk, sending papers flying to the floor. Rachel jumped and tried to hide it by standing up and storming out of his office.

Tears clouding her vision, Rachel hurried to the nearest bathroom. What was her dad going to say? Worse, what was he going to do? She gulped nervously just thinking about it and willed her tears not to fall until she was in the safety of the toilet.

Pushing open the door, the dam broke free and a sob ripped from her throat. She yelled in anger and frustration as she punched a wall, not even feeling the sharp pain that erupted in her quickly bruising knuckle.

She glared at her reflection as her body shook with the force of her cries.

"Rachel? Are you okay?"

The short brunette froze as she heard a voice behind her. She wiped at her eyes as fast as possible, silently cursing herself for not checking if the bathroom was empty before letting herself go. She wheeled around to face the girl emerging from one of the stalls and tried to calm herself before saying, "I'm fine, Quinn. Just a little upset over the fact that Mr Shuester's making a grave mistake and I'm not going to get to perform at Sectionals which could cost us the entire competition. A rather stupid thing to do on his part but apparently his word is law. Bye, Quinn."

She hoped that the blonde would buy what she said as she rambled on, trying to appear at least somewhat normal. It wasn't a complete lie but she certainly wouldn't have reacted so violently. Rachel gave the taller girl a quick nod before leaving to find another bathroom where she could truly let her facade drop.

Quinn stared at the door even after Rachel had left. She knew Rachel hadn't told her the truth and in all her years of tormenting the poor girl, she had never seen her break down like that.

She had spent all day thinking about Kurt's words and she knew she had a decision to make and this incident with the diva had been the deciding factor. She needed to do something, anything, to help Rachel before the girl snapped. She pulled out her phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Kurt, it's Quinn. I wanted to talk to you. It's about Rachel."

**A/N Hope that was okay. Please let me know what you thought! Reviews make my day.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews and alerts! They make me smile!**

Rachel awoke with a start and took a moment to gain her bearings. She felt the soft, carpert beneath her finger tips and her eyes locked onto the old fan hanging from the ceiling. She was in the living room. Why was she in the living room?

She furrowed her brows as she tried to recall what had happened.

She had walked home as usual, taking the time to debate how to break the news of her failure to her dad. She remembered her hands had been shaking so violently as she unlocked the door that it had taken her a good five minutes just to get the key into the keyhole. As she stepped into the house, she realized he wasn't home yet.

He had returned around dawn and yelled for her to come to the living room where he asked her about the solo. She noticed he had been drinking, his eyes were bloodshot and his breath reeked of alcohol. She saw him holding a bottle in his hand and then...

She struggled to recall what had occurred next and huffed in frustration as she drew up a blank. Weakly, she turned her head to check the time on the clock and it read 6:43. She sighed as she attemted to stand so as to start getting ready for school but was caught off guard by the sharp pain which shot through her head and abdomen and fell to the floor with a cry.

Biting down on her lip, she began to crawl towards the stairs, wincing with every movement.

* * *

><p>"Hey Kurt."<p>

"Quinn." The pale boy said with a curt nod.

Quinn pulled the boy into an empty classroom before she started to relay what she had noticed about Rachel as Kurt remained silent, absorbing the new information about the short girl. He couldn't believe he hadn't seen all that while Quinn Fabray, Head Cheerio and biggest enemy of Rachel Berry, had.

"I want to help her, Kurt, I can't say that I don't care about how this will affect me but...but I really do want to help and I will. Nothing's going to stop me, not even you, I don't need anyone's approval. I've thought about it and I've decided that we can work together and be great allies or we can help her separately. The choice is yours, so what do you say?"

Kurt paused for a moment. Could he really trust Quinn? Could Rachel trust her? He thought he could see something in her eyes. Sincerity? Guilt? He sighed.

"I'll be honest, it's going to take a lot more for me to believe that you would want anything to do with Rachel let alone help her but I think I'm starting to. I'll work with you but if you do anything to hurt her or humiliate her, I promise it'll be the last thing you do." He said, crossing his arms across his chest and straightening his back, hoping to appear intimidating.

"I was planning to talk to her before class started. Maybe we could do it together?" The blonde girl asked with a small, hopeful smile.

"Sure."

Together, they made their way to Rachel's locker to wait for her.

* * *

><p>Rachel dragged her feet as she walked to school. Her head was hurting with every step and she was thankful that her house wasn't too far away from the school. She was feeling rather dizzy.<p>

By the time the brunette stumbled through the doors of William McKinley High School, her head felt like it was exploding and everything seemed to be blurred as she struggled to find her locker.

She closed her eyes for a second, hoping that the pain would ease a bit but when she reopened her eyes, it only became worse and she groaned. She had seen blood on the carpert as she left the house but she didn't think her injury had been that serious.

Finally locating her locker, she forced her feet towards it only to see two shapes standing there.

"Hey Rachel!" A voice said, sounding muffled. Who did it belong to? Her head was pounding too hard for her to focus long enough to find out.

"Can we talk?" She vaguely heard Kurt's words as she swayed on her feet.

"Rachel, are you okay?" Was that Quinn? She wasn't sure, it was becoming increasingly hard to think.

"Maybe you should sit down." She pushed away a hand that had landed on her shoulder and took a few unsteady steps backwards.

"No, I'm-I'm fine." She managed to get out as the world began spinning around her and her legs started to give out under her.

"Rachel!" She heard two voices call out as her vision darkened she felt strong arms wrap around her, preventing her from hitting the floor.

**A/N Hope that was fine, it was kind of rushed and a rather short. Please review and tell me what you think. Also, I know this is slightly embarrassing, but could anyone tell me what Rupaul is? I don't actually know.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews and alerts, they really make me smile! Also, thanks to you guys, I finally know what Rupual is.**

"Kurt, call an ambulance!" Quinn yelled, breaking Kurt from his trance, as she gently lowered the girl in her arms to the floor. He fumbled with his phone, barely managing to punch in the numbers in his panicked state.

Quinn put her hand to the back of Rachel's head as she laid her down, only to feel something warm and sticky on her fingers. Pulling her hand away quickly, she gasped when she found her fingers were coated with a red liquid.

"Kurt, she's bleeding! Hurry!" Quinn said shakily, trying hard to maintain her composure but failing as a tear streamed down her cheek. "Oh my gosh, Rachel, please be okay! You have to be okay!" She muttered, brushing the brunette's hair out of her face with a trembling hand.

"Quinn! Quinn! What's going on?" Quinn didn't hear Mr Schue's voice as he demanded to know what was happening, leaving a panicking Kurt to explain the situation as best as he could despite being close to having a nervous break down.

Running out of the school, the spanish teacher, much to Quinn and Kurt's relief, returned with paramedics and a stretcher. Looking over Rachel briefly, they quickly lifted her onto the stretcher and wheeled her out of the school and into the ambulance waiting outside.

Quinn and Kurt desperately fought their way through the crowd of students that had gathered to watch the scene and were about to jump into the ambulance with the diva, only to be stopped by Mr Schue.

"Wait guys! I think I should go with Rachel instead, I am, after all, her teacher." He said, speaking more to the paramedics then his two students before he pushed past them and hopped into the vehicle at the paramedic's nod. "Guys, we'll meet you there." He said as the doors closed.

Rushing to Kurt's car which had been nearer, the two sped towards Lima General Hospital at record speed, Kurt expertly weaving his way between cars.

* * *

><p>Dashing through the front doors of the hospital, Quinn immediately spotted Mr Schue and they ran to him. "Mr Schue! Mr Schue! Any news on Rachel?" She asked frantically. He shook his head, explaining that they had only just brought Rachel into the emergency room and that he had already called her dad as well.<p>

"Both?" Kurt questioned.

"Well-" The older man began, only to be cut off by a commotion at the front desk.

"I demand to know the condition of my daughter, Rachel Berry!" A deep voice yelled, causing the sentence to echo through the halls of the building. "Sir, I'm very sorry but please lower your voice, we will inform you about her condition the moment we find out anything."

"Mr Berry, over here." Mr Schue said, leading the man over to the waiting area where they all sat in silence, awaiting news about the small girl.

Quinn didn't know how long they had been waiting, but the second a doctor entered the waiting area, all four of them shot out of their seats and hurried towards him when he asked for those who had come for Rachel Berry.

"How is my daughter?" Hiram asked worriedly.

"Rachel has a serious concussion and some major bruising around the abdomen. She should make a full recovery but will be required to stay in hospital and come for follow-ups after her discharge. She's currently awake but she's been given some painkillers so she may be slightly out of it." The doctor explained before leading them to Rachel's room.

Stopping outside, he turned to them and asked, "Do any of you know what may have happened to Rachel?"

Quinn, Kurt and Mr Schue shook their heads but the blonde didn't miss the way Hiram averted his eyes, almost guiltily, before looking up and firmly saying that he had no idea. Quinn didn't buy it but didn't say anything as they were all allowed to enter the room.

Rachel was lying in the bed, dressed in a white hospital gown which seemed to hang off her small body, she was pale and her eyes were half open and slightly unfocused but seemed to sit up slightly as the door opened.

"Dad?" She asked as she noticed the people entering her room and the man immediately rushed to her side, taking her tiny hand in his large one.

"Yes, princess?"

"Do you...do you know what happened to me?" She questioned uncertainly. She may not have been able to recall the events, but she was almost certain her dad had something to do with the fact that she was currently in the hospital with a concussion. She just had to make sure.

"You don't remember?" He asked, looking her straight in the eyes.

"No." She watched him closely as his eyes wandered and he released a heavy sigh. Of relief? Rachel guessed through the medication induced fog. He turned back to her, the corners of his lips were upturned in what Rachel supposed was meant to be a comforting smile and he pat her thigh lightly as he spoke, "I'm sorry but I don't know either. You must've tripped and hit your head on something."

"Yeah, maybe." She said absentmindedly. Squeezing her hand one last time, Hiram rose to his feet to address Rachel's other visitors.

"Thank you for coming and for waiting, but I think we all know that Rachel needs to rest. I'll be staying with her so you guys can go now and maybe return tomorrow when she feels a bit better." He said as he started ushering them out of the door, just about slamming the door in Kurt's face and then turning back to his daughter.

"Rach, you can go to sleep, you know? I'll be here, you just need some rest." He walked over to the small girl and sat down in a chair placed beside the bed. He reached over and began stroking the brunette's hair, trying to relax her.

Rachel closed her eyes, feeling rather sleepy and her breathing started to deepen and even out. Thinking his daughter had fallen asleep, Hiram whispered quietly to her and Rachel, despite her tiredness, listened intently to his words.

"I'm sorry, honey, it shouldn't have happened. I'm so sorry, it's my fault, baby."

_His fault? What really happened?_

Rachel pondered the questions forming in her mind as she finally gave in to sleep, hoping that her memory would eventually return to her. She wanted, no, needed to know.

**A/N Thanks to all! Please review and tell me what you thought! School is starting next week, much to my dismay, which means updates will be less often. Anyway, I have a question: Do you think Shelby should get involved?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews! They really mean a lot to me. I know it's been a while since I last updated, I'm so sorry. I really wanted to update earlier but I've been really busy. Hope you enjoy!**

Rachel awoke slowly to the sound of yelling outside her room door, groaning at the growing pain in her head, not being helped by the racket. Furrowing her brows, she recognised the voice. It was her dad. Closing her eyes to ease the headache, she listened as intently as possible to her father's rising voice.

"What exactly are you suggesting, sir?" She heard him say with an edge. He was angry.

"How dare you accuse me of such a heinous act! I would never hurt my little girl! Ever!" He screamed, his words increasing in volume as he became more and more agitated.

"I will not calm down! This is absurd! Let go off me!" Hiram's voice became softer and she guessed that he was being taken somewhere further away but he could still be easily heard from within the room. Rolling over with a heavy sigh, Rachel nestled into the hard hospital pillow, barely registering the door of her room being opened.

When the soft click of the door closing resounded in the room, Rachel tried pretending to be asleep, not wanting to have to talk with anyone but was betrayed by the immediate tensing of her body.

"Rachel? Can I talk to you?" A lady asked her gently, pulling up a chair beside her bed as she awaited a response from the small girl. Rachel opened her eyes at the foreign voice and sat up slightly, folding her arms protectively across her chest.

"Who are you?" She questioned. The woman sitting beside her had short, blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and a small smile gracing her lips. She was dressed in a black coloured shirt with cargo pants and held a notebook in her left hand, a blue pen gripped loosely in the other as she sat, leaned back in the white chair.

"I'm Samantha Jackson. I'm from social services and I really need to talk to you, are you feeling up for a little chat?" Samantha asked nicely, trying not to appear as a threat as she noticed the defensive posture of the brunette. Receiving a nod, she continued, "I wanted to ask you if you know how you got that nasty concussion?"

Rachel inwardly groaned at the question and shook her head lightly, causing her head to throb painfully at the simple action and she attempted to hide her wince. "I see, can you tell me how you got those bruises on your wrist and cheeks?" Rachel shrugged and looked away from Samantha. She knew where this was going and she was in a dilemma. What should she say?

"Rachel, has your dad ever touched you in a way that made you feel uncomfortable? Has he ever hit you?" Samantha asked, trying to make eye contact with the small teen, concern painted on her pale face. However, Rachel refused to look at her as she struggled to come to a decision.

"_Hey Rach! You were amazing on stage!" Hiram exclaimed happily as he picked up his eight year old daughter, still dressed in her baby blue dress and tights and twirled her around in a tight hug. Rachel squealed with laughter as she waved the trophy in her hand and enjoyed the warm, loving embrace._

"_You mean the world to me, baby girl, I'm so proud of you." He whispered lovingly as he kissed her on the cheek before placing her back on the ground. He smiled proudly at her and patted her on the __head affectionately, kissing her soft, brown hair. Kneeling down before her, Hiram looked into her lively brown eyes and cupped her small cheeks as he spoke, "I don't know_ _what I'd ever do without you."_

_Seeing the tears in her father's eyes, Rachel frowned slightly and flung her short arms around his neck. "Don't cry, daddy, I'm not going anywhere, I promise." She spoke softly into his ear and she felt him vibrate as he chuckled lightly._

"_Neither am I, princess."_

"Rachel? Are you okay?"

Snapping out of the memory, Rachel brought her hand up to her face, suprised to find her cheeks were wet. Hastily wiping the tears away, she silently reprimanded herself for getting lost in the past and quickly resumed an emotionless face. The past was the past, that's all it would ever be. The past.

"Sorry. No. He's never laid a hand on me." She replied flatly, without an ounce of emotion. She didn't know why she was protecting the liar. Was she really protecting him? Or was she just a coward?

"Are you sure? Rachel, you don't need to be afraid, if he has ever hurt you, you can tell me. I can help." Samantha said, reaching out to take Rachel's hand, only to have her retract the hand suddenly.

"I-I'm sure." The brunette replied, glaring at the lady beside her but not meeting her eyes. "Okay, thank you for talking with me, Rachel." Samantha sighed, rising from her chair and making her way towards the door but stopped before she opened it and turned around to face Rachel once more.

"Rachel, if he ever does anything, please, don't hesitate to seek help. Please remember that." She spoke softly as she eyed the tiny teenager.

"Where's my dad?"

"We're going to need to speak with him too. I promise you that he'll be here when you're discharged, we just need to ensure there is no basis to the doctor's concerns. Goodbye, Rachel. Hope you feel better soon." The blonde said, sincerely as she left the room, leaving the brunette in the peaceful silence.

However, it was broken five minutes later as a firm knock was placed on the wooden door. Groaning, Rachel clutched her throbbing head and sighed frustratedly, knowing that she would have to deal with yet another visitor. She was much too tired and in too much pain to do this.

"Hey Rachel, how are you feeling?" Looking up at the sound of the quiet voice, Rachel was greeted with the sight of a different blonde.

"Better. Don't mind me being blunt, but what are you doing here, Quinn?" The diva's voice was tired and she looked positively exhausted. Her eyes had dark bags below them and her skin looked an unhealthy shade, her dark brown eyes were dull and hard.

"I came to check on you." The blonde watched as the girl in front of her shook her head before looking back up at her.

"I'm not in the mood for lies. Please leave." Rachel snapped. Slightly taken aback by the bunette's outburst, she took a second to recover her train of thought.

"I wanted to apologize too. I'm sorry, Rachel, for everything." Quinn said, trying to sound sincere. Apologizing was something she didn't have to do often and it certainly wasn't easy.

"Stop Quinn. You can keep saying you're sorry but two meaningless words aren't going to make up for the years of endless torment and humiliation you put me through. I'm afraid actions speak much louder than words and yours haven't told me very much about how much you regret torturing me." Rachel couldn't take it, all the lies that she was being told, people pretending to be care about her. She felt like her head was going to explode and she could feel anger building in her chest but they were suddenly eased slightly as she felt a soft hand encase hers.

"They're not meaningless words, Rachel. I really am sorry. I know you can't forgive me instantly, but please just give me a chance. I know something's going on with you, with your dad, and I just don't want to see you go through it alone." Like me, Quinn thought.

A heavy silence settled between the two as neither made a move. Quinn's hand was still resting on Rachel's but she had yet to respond. The sudden opening of the door caused the two girls to quickly detach their hands as the glanced at the nurse in the doorway.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but visiting hours are now over. I'm afraid you have to leave now but you're welcome to come again tomorrow." She said kindly. Quinn turned to Rachel and looked her straight in the eyes before replying, "It's alright, I was just leaving. I swear I'll do anything I can to make things right. Bye, Rachel."

As she closed the door, she heard a soft "bye" come from within the room and smiled softly. Maybe she was actually getting somewhere.

**A/N Once again, sorry this took so long! Please review and tell me what you think! I rushed this a bit so if there are tons of mistakes, do forgive me. Also, I have no idea what social services do so I apologize if that is totally inaccurate. Thanks! **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews and alerts! Hope you enjoy!**

Once again, Rachel was alone. Alone. That's one of the rare things that had been consistent throughout her life. Growing up, apart from Hiram, she had been friendless. No one wanted to be seen talking to the school freak and to hide her hurt and loneliness, she tried to convince herself that she was better than them, that she didn't need friends. Oddly enough, she could never believe herself.

Rachel sighed heavily as she felt the pain medication wearing off, she had enjoyed being in a medicine induced state of hazy consciousness. At least when she couldn't think or focus properly, she didn't have to constantly dwell on her thoughts and feelings. Or the voices.

Her mind drifted to Quinn. She couldn't understand the girl's sudden 180 turn in attitude. She had gone from hating her and being her main tormentor to caring and gentle and it was perplexing. Could she really be trusted? Could someone she had always regarded as her biggest enemy really, sincerely want to help her?

_No. _A familiar voice spoke. _Don't trust her._

Squeezing her eyes shut, she clenched her fists tightly, trying to keep herself from crying out. She had cherished the peace and quiet provided by the drugs given to her but now, they were returning. The voices she often fought so hard to ignore, to not hear. Regardless of whether she liked them or not, they would always speak to her, tormenting her in their own evil ways as they reminded her of mistakes, her foolishness. She despised them.

_You can't trust anyone but yourself._

She knew that, the wounds inflicted by the betrayal of others and the many let downs in her short life had taught her that very lesson. They had broken her time and time again, making her distrustful, weary and now, no matter how much she wanted a friend to confide in, to take away the loneliness, she wasn't going to risk getting hurt again. Scars had been left, scars that would never disappear. Despite how much she hated the voices, they were right. She couldn't trust anyone but herself. The only person she could rely on to protect her was herself, not even her dad and that made her angry. Shouldn't parents take care of their children and keep them from harm? She sniffled. What if your parent was the harm?

"How are you feeling, Rachel?" Jumping at the unexpected sound, Rachel whipped around to face the door, instantly regretting the action as a wave of pain shot through her head. Moving into her room was her doctor, Dr Johnson, his black hair was neatly gelled back and she noticed something in his dark green eyes. Something she couldn't place.

"Worse. The pain medication is wearing off." Rachel answered curtly. Not giving him a chance to speak, she quickly questioned him in an emotionless voice, putting on her expressionless showface. "Why did you report my dad to social services? You have no evidence that he has ever done anything to me." Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his white coat, he stood at the foot of her bed, eyes istantly meeting Rachel's.

"I wanted to be sure. I wanted you to know that there are people who can help you, Rachel. I've seen a case like this before, the first of my career actually. A girl much like yourself came in here one day, she was pretty beat up and we immediately suspected abuse but her dad said she fell down the stairs. She pleaded for us not to report it and stupidly, we agreed. The way she begged, it was heartbreaking but she promised that the next time we saw her, we could call social services. All in all, the next time she came, it was too late. He got away with it and she..." Dr Johnson trailed off, he was trying hard to remain in control of his emotions and internally scolded himself for his lapse in professionalism, both then and now.

Noticing the silence that descended upon them, Rachel decided to break it. "I'd like more pain medication." She said and she watched as her doctor nodded before leaving the room with a promise to return quickly. She thought back to his words. Would she end up like that? Should she tell?

_Don't tell._

Why? She asked, wondering if she would recieve a reply.

_Don't._

_Tell._

_Don't._

_Tell._

_Don't._

_Tell._

Rachel didn't even realize she had screamed until the soud echoed off the walls of her hospital room, temporarily silencing the voices which had started to invade her mind, drowning her. She breathed heavily as she tried to calm herself, the feelings she had bottled up threatened to explode and she couldn't let them.

"Rachel?" Her eyes snapped towards the door and her heart sank. She felt the anger, the resentment beginning to build in her chest. It was becoming harder to breathe as tears flooded her eyes, the overwhelming hurt that had been caused by the person now standing in her room rushed over her once more and it was almost unbearable. She wanted to scream, she wanted to yell and punch something, anything to curb the emotions that wanted to escape but she didn't.

Instead, she looked up slowly, her eyes meeting their twins in the woman before her. She inhaled deeply as she tried to steady her voice. She managed to speak so calmly and coldly, it scared her.

"Get out, Shelby."

**A/N I think that was a pretty bad chapter. I'm so sorry! The next one will be better. I heard that Lea won't be in season 4, guess next season will be my last, and also that a certain special someone will be coming back in season 3. Hope the writers do it better this time if you know what I'm talking about. Please review and tell me your thoughts!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews! Enjoy!**

"Rachel, why are you in the hospital? Are you okay?" Shelby asked, completely ignoring Rachel as she moved further into her room. She had been visiting a friend when she was told that she had to leave and she hadn't expected to hear a familiar scream coming from one of the rooms. She knew that voice, it belonged to her...child. Shelby had contemplated just leaving, after all, she hadn't ended things with Rachel on the best terms but something had compelled her to check on the girl.

"I told you to leave, Shelby. Get out." Rachel's voice was chillingly calm but inside, she was livid. The woman before her had pushed her away, rejected her own daughter, told her she didn't want a relationship. Shelby didn't want her and that stung. Although she hadn't known Shelby for very long, it didn't mean that she hadn't developed feelings for the woman and there was a bond growing between them that she had felt. Why hadn't Shelby? Was it just her wishful thinking?

Rachel had spent so long after her last meeting with her mother wondering what it was that she had done wrong. Was it something she said? Had she been too pushy, too desperate for a relationship that she had scared the woman she just wanted to get to know away? For the life of her, Rachel couldn't remember what she had done, she had tried to be so careful in leaving a good first impression but like everything else in her life, she had messed it up.

Then again, Shelby had said that Rachel wasn't what she was expecting. She was a teenager. Had Shelby expected her to still be the baby she had given up? It wasn't Rachel's fault that she had grown and aged but yet, it had cost her a chance, her only chance, with her mother. That's why she resented the woman. Shelby was blaming her, making her pay for something that was out of her control and Shelby had been the one to initiate everything! Was she not aware of what was going to happen?

"Rachel-" Shelby began again but was cut off by the younger brunette. "Get. Out." Rachel said bittingly. She was beyond livid, Shelby had given up the right to be concerned about her long ago.

Sighing, Shelby realized that Rachel wasn't going to budge. She knew the girl had been heart broken when she had left with little explanation after worming her way into her life but she thought that Rachel had gotten over it or at least wouldn't display such immense hate for her. Yes, she admitted that she had been selfish, she had thought of herself and hadn't really considered the young brunette's feelings but at the time, she did believe it was for the best. Moving to the door, Shelby stopped before exiting.

"I'm so sorry for everything, Rachel. I shouldn't have done that to you. Stay safe."

_It's a bit late now, isn't it? _

Despite the voice echoeing through her mind, Rachel held Shelby's gaze in a glare before the older of the two relented and left the room, once again leaving Rachel alone in silence, only disturbed occassionally by the voices speaking in her head.

* * *

><p><em>She slowly awoke from a peaceful slumber. As the sleepiness wore off, she could vaguely hear raised voices. For a moment, she thought she had been imagining them, but as she focused her hearing, she noticed that they sounded familiar. Curiousity got the better of her and she climbed out of the large bed, quickly slipping out of her room. It was almost pitch black in the hall but she took the darkness as a cover and started to make her way to the end where there was one illuminated bulb near a large wooden door.<em>

_As she padded quietly along the carpet, she kept close to the wall, attempting to remain undiscovered and out of trouble. A loud crash and the sound of glass breaking made her feel scared, afraid of what was happening. Had a burglar made it into the house? She imagined him with a ski mask over his face, grabbing anything valuable in sight and stuffing it into a bag but in his haste, he accidentally knocked over something. _

_As silence swallowed the dark house, she continued on her journey towards the end of the hall. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her hands were sweaty and clenched tightly at her sides as she treaded lightly, making sure that her feet made no sound as they hit the thick carpet beneath her. _

_Finally arriving at the door, she put her ear on the wood, straining to hear any sounds within the room. Not hearing anything, she put a small hand onto the door knob. Breathing in deeply, she tried to calm her racing heart._

_She turned the knob fully. She gulped. Pausing, she inhaled once more before moving to push the door open._

_Suddenly, a hand landed roughly on her shoulder and she jumped._

Awaking with a start, Quinn snapped her eyes open, only to be met with the white ceiling of her bedroom. She was sweating. Not too badly, but still enough to make her clothes damp. She put a hand to her chest, feeling the rapid beating beneath her wet palm. As she took deep, even breaths, she felt the pace start to slow but she still felt incredibly...shaken. She shifted onto her side and lifted her head slightly to look at the clock. 4:33am. She sighed deeply. Deciding she needed a drink of water before she could go back to sleep, the blonde rolled out of bed and left her room.

The hall was once again dark. She couldn't really see very well, but managed to make her way down the steps and into the kitchen. After turning on the lights, she walked over to one of the cupboards, getting herself a small glass before filling it with cool water. Slipping the liquid over her lips, she swallowed thirstily, hoping to quench the thirst she had worked up from her dream. She sighed.

She hadn't had that dream, that memory, for a while. Not since she had been kicked out by Russell Fabray. She had been so thankful when she heard her mom talk about how she had driven him out the door, a knife pointed to his back as she yelled at him. Now it was just the two of them and Quinn was glad in a way, anything was better than having to live with Russell but still, she missed her sister dearly, without her, she felt so lonely.

"Hey, Quinnie. What are you doing up at this time?" Caught of guard by Judy who had been stading behind her, she wheeled around quickly and came face to face with her mom who was dressed in a white nightgown, hair slightly messy. Quinn wondered why she was up at this time. Judy wasn't a light sleeper and certainly didn't rise this early.

"Nothing, I just had a nightmare, that's all. What are you doing up?" She asked uncertainly, watching her mother's face carefully for any emotions, any reaction that would indicate why her mom was awake at 4am.

"Oh, I thought I heard something downstairs so I came to check it out. Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Quinn was suspicious of her mother's explanation. Yes, they had grown closer after Russll left but there was still this distance that existed between them. She didn't know if she could trust what Judy had said and that made her feel a tinge of something...sadness, maybe. She shook her head at the fact that she couldn't bring herself to fully believe her own mother's words.

Perhaps it was because of the lies, the breaking of trust that something was missing in their relationship, a bridge that had been destroyed in the process and couldn't be fixed. Not that easily, at least. Months had passed, not too many, but still...

She watched as Judy smiled broadly, almost adoringly, at her before kissing her forehead and leaving Quinn alone in the kitchen as she returned to her bedroom. Quinn just smiled back as she watched her mother leave.

The conversations they shared were few and far between, they were often shallow and barely delved deeper than how their day was. She knew that she wanted something more. She wanted to actually have a proper, healthy relationship with her mother and she was going to make it happen. She just really hoped that nothing would come along and ruin it before it even began.

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews and alerts! Let me know what you thought of this chapter. For those wondering, this isn't the last we're going to see of Shelby. Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy!**

"_Rachel! Get down here!" Slowly rousing from a restless sleep, Rachel cringed at the sound of her father yelling her name, slurring slightly. Rolling out of bed slowly, she breathed in deeply to calm herself before moving towards the door of her bedroom, the only barrier protecting her from the man downstairs. _

"_RACHEL!" He was angry, angrier than usual at least and Rachel flew down the steps to avoid making him even more enraged. Stopping at the doorway of the living room, she came face to face with Hiram. He was flushed, his eyes were bloodshot and wide with fury as he stood a short distance from her. He was reeking of alcohol and she spied him holding a bottle in his hand as he stalked unsteadily towards her and she took a few steps back._

"_Did you get it?" He spat. Rachel could feel her heart pounding as she bit her lip and shook her head slightly. This wasn't going to end well. Seething, he grabbed her by her hair and pain immediately shot through Rachel's head. She gasped and he raised his arm-_

"Rachel. Rachel, wake up."

Opening her heavy eyes, Rachel sighed. It was the day. She was being discharged, she was going home. She didn't want to go home. No evidence had been found against Hiram and he was coming to pick her up shortly. A nurse had been sent to help her get ready while the doctor spoke to her father outside about a follow up and what to do at home.

She groaned as she attempted to sit up, although the bruising around her stomach had gone down, it was still sore and tender. The nurse immediately helped her out of bed and slowly, Rachel managed to change out of the hospital gown which was damp with her sweat. She thought back to her dream and swallowed thickly, she was remembering, slowly but surely, she was remembering.

The nurse forced her into a wheelchair and she was brought to the entrance of the hospital where her eyes instantly picked out Hiram. She could feel her palms getting sweaty as she clenched them tightly, her breathing had definitely picked up and he was at least halfway across the room. What would happen if he was right in front of her? Hitting her? Hurting her? She shuddered to think about it but that didn't stop some unwelcome voices.

_It's going to happen._

_It's your fault._

_You're letting him, you deserve it._

She gritted her teeth together, struggling to ignore them as Hiram started coming towards her. She watched as he broke out in a wide smile and she felt sick, it was so fake and it digusted her. She felt his arms envelope her in a tight hug before he pulled away and kissed her on the cheek. Rachel jerked her head at the touch and she saw a flash of something in his eyes but she couldn't identify it.

"How are you feeling, baby girl?" He asked her gently, putting his large hands on her knees, making her tense. "F-fine." She said softly. Nodding, he stood up and ruffled her hair slightly before moving behind her and pushing the wheelchair towards his car. After helping her in, he left to return the wheelchair and quickly returned.

The drive back to the house was silent and the air was thick with tension. Hiram kept glancing at his daughter nervously, worried that perhaps she remembered something. His grip on the steering wheel was tight, making his knuckles grow pale. He hoped she didn't. He couldn't understand why Rachel hadn't reported him but he knew he was going to avoid prison at all costs.

Rachel could feel his eyes on her. She kept hers glued to the passing scenery outside the window, watching as houses, trees and bushes flew by. She spotted children playing in their garden, little sisters being chased by older brothers, squealing and laughing as they ran. She sighed. She had always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling, to have someone who she could confide in when others didn't understand, but mostly, she wondered what it was like to have such freedom and such innocence. As a child, she had been locked in the house all day, forced to practice her singing, her dancing, her acting, musical instruments... She had never been allowed to play. Hiram said it was a waste of time. She always questioned why in her mind, others who played looked happy, not that she didn't enjoy her lessons but it got tiring sometimes. She didn't dare to ask, not after she had gotten spanked the first and last time she questioned him.

Seeing their beaming faces, genuinely happy from something so simple, it made her long for that childlike innocence. If only life were so simple, so easy, so...uncomplicated. Feeling a firm hand on her shoulder, Rachel jumped and whipped her head around, causing it to pound painfully.

"We're home, honey. I'll help you into the house, okay?" Hiram asked as he exited the car to move to the other side. Rachel hadn't noticed that the car had stopped and was suprised to find them parked in the driveway. She felt her heart fill with dread at the realization that they were home. She didn't want to go in, to return to that hellhole. However, she wasn't given a choice as she was practically pulled out of the car and through the front door by her father. He barely supported her as she made her way up the steps, choosing to ignore the way she winced at every movement and left for his room the moment they reached the top of the stairs, leaving Rachel to get to her room by herself.

Leaning against the wall, she eventually reached her room and went inside, flopping down on the bed instantly, sighing as she was engulfed by the familiar soft covers. Hearing a knock on the door, Rachel gave Hiram permission to enter the room. She knew he would have entered anyway. Rolling over, she quickly swallowed the groan of pain that threatened to leave her lips and she caught sight of something in his hand. Placing her handphone beside her, Hiram bent down and brushed Rachel's hair back from her forehead, giving her a quick kiss before leaving to prepare dinner, telling her he would bring it up for her when it was done.

Flipping open her phone, she read the words displayed on the screen. 4 missed calls from Quinn, 5 missed calls from Kurt, 1 missed call from Shelby, 3 messages from Quinn and 2 from Kurt. She hadn't seen anymore visitors during her stay in the hospital and that probably explained the calls and messages. Deciding she was too tired, Rachel put her phone down again and closed her eyes, willing sleep to swallow her, wanting all the pain, all the voices, all the troubles to disappear into a peaceful oblivion as she slept.

* * *

><p>"Hey Kurt, have you heard from Rachel?" Quinn asked, concerned. She had called the little diva repeatedly and even sent her multiple messages but had not gotten a single reply. Each time she had wanted to go and see the brunette, she was too late as either Cheerios practice or glee club held her back.<p>

"Nope. You?" The pale boy was equally worried about the girl but Burt had made him come straight home after glee to help him out in the shop.

"Do you think she's been discharged?" Quinn asked.

"Probably, it's been a few days." Kurt answered as he handed his father a wrench, grimicing at the sight of grease on his freshly moisturized hand.

"I-I think I'm going to go to her house, to check on her." The blonde said softly, unsure of whether that was the right thing to do, especially when she had her suspicions about Rachel's dad. She didn't want her presence to aggravate him into doing something to the brunette.

"Are you insane?" Kurt asked in disbelief. He thought that with Quinn's past treatment of Rachel, it would be insane to visit her when her dad was there. He would probably try to murder her on the spot.

"No?" Kurt shook his head and rolled his eyes at the blonde's answer. He exhaled dramatically as he made up his mind. He wasn't about to let Quinn get killed, then again, he did really want to see the petite girl and talk to her. He hadn't seen her at all since she had been admitted to hospital and he was longing to make sure she was truly alright.

"Very funny, blondie. Jokes aside, I'm coming with you and that's final."

**A/N Thanks for reading and reviewing! Please let me know what you thought. Hope you enjoyed it. Review! Has anyone heard the song When the World Turns Upside Down from Dorothy of Oz? I think it's nice but I may be biased since Lea's singing it.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews! They really brighten my day!**

Standing in front of large wooden doors, Quinn and Kurt heard shuffling within the house before the door opened to reveal Hiram Berry. His eyes were tired and lines framed them, his lips were set in a firm line and his face was emotionless, in all, he didn't seem like the loving father Rachel had led them all to believe he was. He didn't appear warm or kind in the slightest and Quinn sighed as she recalled another man who looked somewhat similar. She was sure they had done similar things too.

"Hi Mr Berry, I'm Quinn and this is Kurt. We're friends with Rachel and we were hoping that we could check up on her." The blonde said as politely as possible. She watched as something flashed across the older man's face before the corners of his lips pulled upwards into a small smile as he ushered the two of them inside.

"Of course! I'll just go and tell Rach that she has visitors to see if she's up to it, you can follow me." Hiram said, leading them through the house and up the stairs. As Quinn and Kurt walked behind him, Quinn noticed a stain on the carpert. It was light, as though someone had tried to wash it out, but failed to do so completely, leaving a small pale reddish patch behind. Nudging the boy next to her, she angled her head towards the mark, silently telling him to look in that direction and as he did so, his eyes narrowed in thought. He wasn't sure what it was but judging by Quinn's expression, she was suspicious as to what it might be. Regardless, they continued behind Hiram until they stopped outside Rachel's room which against all expectations, had no gold star, no sparkly name on the front. It was white. Just white.

Patiently, they waited while Hiram entered the room.

* * *

><p>Feeling herself being shaken roughly, Rachel opened her eyes quickly and stiffened at the sight of Hiram towering over her, both hands placed firmly on her shoulders. As he lifted a hand and brought it towards her face, Rachel accidentally let out a soft whimper and clamped her eyes shut tightly. However, when pain failed to reach her and Rachel reopened her brown orbs to study her father as he spoke gently, "Hey Rach, it's okay, it's just me." <em>How ironic. <em>"You've got some visitors. You feeling up to it?"

The small brunette nodded lightly. It wasn't that she actually wanted to see anyone but at least then she wouldn't be alone with Hiram. The constant state of fear and anxiety she was in was beginning to wear her down and she needed a moment to feel like she didn't have to worry about him hurting her. She knew he wouldn't do it when others were around and it seemed llike that was all she had to count on.

Hiram opened the door and exited as the two walked into the room with concern and relief painted on their faces. "Hey Rachel, you feeling better?" Kurt asked as he moved to take a seat at the end of her bed while Quinn made her way to the other side. "Much better, thank you." Rachel said politely as she eyed the two warily.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked without an ounce of emotion in her voice. "We were worried about you and just wanted to see if you were okay. We want to be here for you." Quinn answered softly.

"Why?"

Quinn and Kurt paused at this, they knew they each had their own reasons yet they hadn't truly thought about it but now was the time to show their sincerity, to let the tiny girl before them know that they weren't speaking empty words. Looking at Quinn who was deep in thought, Kurt decided to go first.

"I-I...It's hard to explain, Rachel, but...I know what it's like to feel alone and helpless when others are tearing you down. I know how hard it is to push through each day, trying to pretend that everything's okay and I don't want you to have to suffer that by yourself anymore." Kurt internally reprimanded himself for being weak. There was so much more than that but he wasn't strong enough to tell anyone, to tell Rachel and he was disappointed in himself for not being able to be completely honest about his motives.

Glancing at Kurt, he was clearly mulling over something, his brows were furrowed and his eyes were glued to the floor and Quinn, hoping to break the awkward silence that had formed, spoke. "I know something's happening to you, Rachel, don't deny it. I can see you falling apart, I can see you hurting and I'm not going to stand back and let it happen anymore. You might think it's a sudden change but please Rachel, you have to know that I've done it before, I've stood back and it didn't work and I don't want history to repeat itself. I can't let him break you. Let us help you, Rachel, you don't have to handle this alone."

Rachel almost jumped as she felt a soft hand encase hers and she looked down to see Quinn's pale hand on her tan one. She shifted her eyes up again and they met Quinn's before they locked with Kurt's. She could see that they were sincere, that they wanted to help but what was to say that they wouldn't turn on her and betray her trust should she let them. She knew in her heart that she wanted-no, needed help. She knew she couldn't survive this alone but many things were telling her that she was just getting her hopes up, that they weren't going to stick with her forever, they were going to gain her trust and crush her. She wouldn't be able to live with that yet... She didn't know. Her thoughts were so jumbled, racing through her mind with little order or organization, leaving her confused and lost.

"I-I don't know, I want to believe you but I'm scared. I-I don't, I can't trust you." She finally said, her heart racing as she felt herself lower her defenses for once. She was vulnerable and she didn't like it. She was too exposed, too open and it could easily be used to hurt her but she was tired. She was so tired and it was time, she needed someone even if she couldn't let them in fully. She was starting to drown as she struggled to keep afloat through all everything that was happening. Her walls were being chipped away at and she was frightened at the prospect of letting people in again after she had been crushed repeatedly.

Both of Rachel's visitors were surprised at her honest, unguarded answer, but were satisfied that they were getting somewhere. "It's okay, Rachel, we'll show you that we're not going to hurt you, we're just asking for a chance." Rachel gave a slight nod. She guessed she could give them that even if the voices were telling her it was the wrong decision.

"I'm going out for a while! Be back soon!" The three teenagers heard Hiram yell from downstairs and when the front door slammed shut, a light bulb lit in Quinn's head. "Hey guys, I'm feeling a bit thirsty. Is it okay if I go to the kitchen for a glass of water, Rachel?" She asked innocently. "Of course."

Leaving Rachel and Kurt to talk in her room, Quinn creeped down the steps and towards the living room. She hurried over to the stain she had seen earlier, hoping to get a better, clearer look. She ran her fingers over the carpert and studied it. It was too similar for comfort. There was only one thing it could be and that was blood, Rachel's blood probably. She had been wondering how Rachel had injured herself and although she had her suspicions about Hiram, this just made things point to the idea that he was the one who had wounded Rachel. The injury had obviously occured here and if Rachel had a concussion, it had to have been sometime in the morning. Now Quinn just had to find where Hiram fit in.

Moving to the kitchen, Quinn opened the dustbin and found bottles. Empty beer bottles filled the trashcan and as she was about to close it, something caught her eye. Glass shards. A broken bottle. Picking up one of the pieces, she observed a dried, dark red substance on the edges and she had a pretty good guess that it was blood. More likely Rachel's than Hiram's. The blonde stopped herself. She couldn't jump to conclusions no matter how convinced she was that Hiram had abused Rachel, she couldn't rule out the possibility that her own experiences were clouding her judgement. However, she didn't have long to think through the situation as a voice, deep and barely controlled, rang out behind her.

"What do you think you are doing?" Turning around, the blonde was faced with Hiram who was standing in the doorway with his arms folded over his chest. Without giving her a chance to answer, he spoke again coldly, "I think it's time you left. Both of you."

"Sure Mr Berry, just let me go upstairs to say goodbye to Rachel." Quinn said, trying deperately to keep her voice from shaking. She was still holding on to the glass shard and tried to carefully drop it into the trashcan without Hiram noticing. She knew she had failed when his bloodshot eyes followed her movement closely, almost glaring at her hand. She wasn't going to deny that she was scared. His stance, his posture, it all reminded her so much of one Russell Fabray.

Quickly moving past him, she dashed up the stairs and into Rachel's room where the small girl had fallen asleep again. Kurt was still sitting at the edge of her bed, observing her as she slept but jumped to his feet at the sight of a panicked Quinn rushing into the room. Grabbing his arm, she hissed into his ear, "We've got to go. Hiram caught me doing something and he wants us out. Now!" With that, she yanked him into the hallway, glancing back at the brunette once more before closing her door and heading down the steps where she saw Rachel's father watching them from the kitchen. He was standing beside the dustbin and Quinn knew he had spotted what the blonde had been studying. He was going to get rid of it. He was going to destroy the evidence.

The man sped towards the two teenagers, his hard eyes staring at them, studying them. He opened the door and held it open for them and Quinn didn't fail to notice that his grip on the door was so hard his knuckle was turning white. "Thank you for visiting." He said without revealing his anger at his carelessness, at the girl sticking her nose where it didn't belong, his worry that she knew what was going on, that she might turn him in.

"We just wanted to make sure that Rachel's safe." Quinn added as she walked out of the house, turning to face Hiram once more before he slammed the door in their faces. "What happened in there, Quinn?" Kurt asked, bewildered. "Something. Something bad. We'll go to my house and I'll explain everything to you."

**A/N Thanks for reviewing and alerting! Let me know your thoughts, please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N Once again, thank you so much to all those who reviewed! I know this chapter's a bit overdue but I think getting hit in the head twice by a ball might have killed a few brain cells and gave me a small writers block. Anyways, hope you'll enjoy and forgive any mistakes!**

As Hiram watched the door slam shut after the two teenagers, he sighed. The girl, Quinn, she knew something. He could see it in her eyes, the way she looked at him, the tone of her voice. She had seen the glass and she had been holding it, studying it. Needless to say, he was almost panicking. He was scared out of his wits at the thought of someone possibly knowing what he had done. What was it that made the blonde suspicious? Was she going to call the police? More importantly, had Rachel said something?

Thinking about the possibility of his daughter betraying him made his blood boil. It had been a one time incident! Sure he had gotten drunk and lost his temper before but he had never hurt Rachel. Badly. It was a mistake. He didn't deserve to go to jail for that. He wouldn't go to jail.

Slamming his tightly curled fist on the front door, he growled. He could feel his anger building as his thoughts centered around the nosy blonde and his daughter. His useless, ungrateful daughter. Swallowing hard, he forced himself into the kitchen to finish making dinner which he would bring up to Rachel before they had a little...talk, but first things first, he had to destroy the evidence against him.

* * *

><p>Kurt watched his leg hopping up and down restlessly as he sat next to Quinn. Patience had never been his strong suit. He couldn't imagine what could have happened while he was speaking to Rachel that had resulted in them being almost thrown out of the house. His curiousity was burning inside and he needed to know before he exploded. Turning to the blonde beside him, he pleaded, "Quinn, I know you wanted to wait until we got to your house but please tell me what happened! Please!"<p>

Seeing the pout on the boy's face, Quinn relented. After all, they were no longer in earshot of a certain Hiram Berry. She pulled into a parking lot at a small mall and quickly explained everything she knew, watching as Kurt's brows furrowed and his lips morphed into a firm frown. "Quinn, if what you're saying is true and Hiram really is abusing Rachel, then why did we leave her in that house with him?"

Quinn felt her heart stop at the question. Kurt had a point, especially after seeing how angry and desperate Hiram had been. They shouldn't have left. Who knew what he might have done by now? Whipping out her handphone, the blonde quickly searched for Rachel's handphone number and pressed call before moving the phone to her ear. After four rings, the call was answered and Quinn started to speak hurriedly.

"Rachel, I'm so sorry we left, we shouldn't have left you alone with him. Has he-"

"Quinn Fabray? I'm afraid Rachel is a bit busy at the moment and can't answer her phone. I'm sure she'd appreciate your concern." Startled by Hiram's low, cold voice, Quinn shook her head as panic filled her. Had he done something to Rachel? Why was he answering her handphone? No, Rachel wasn't safe there and they had made the mistake of leaving her alone, they had to go back. "Kurt, we need to go back!" She said as she set the car in drive and turned around, driving in the opposite direction back to the Berry house.

"Wait, Quinn! We can't just go barging in there! What if we can't stop him? We're not Finn or Puck, we're not strong enough." Sighing, the blonde knew that Kurt was right. Even if they got into the house, how were they, a teenaged girl and a not particularly muscular boy, going to protect Rachel from Hiram, a man? She knew what they had to do.

"Call the police, Kurt. Now."

* * *

><p>Hanging up Rachel's handphone, Hiram walked back into her room and set it down on the bed, watching as Rachel finished the vegetable soup he had made her. Rachel eyed him warily as he returned. When her phone had started ringing, Hiram had taken one look at the caller ID before insisting that he would take the call, not wanting to disrupt her dinner and Rachel had no choice but to let him. Taking her tray away, he put it onto her bedside table and sat on the side of her bed, in front of her, staring at her with hardened eyes.<p>

"What did you guys talk about just now?" He asked, trying to appear curious and hoping to recieve an answer without having to resort to violence. "They asked me if I was feeling better, that's all." Rachel replied softly, looking down at her hands as they fiddled with her sleeves. Suddenly, she felt her chin being pulled upward roughly in a tight, painful grip and was forced to meet her father's cold eyes. She let out a squeak and immediately regretted it as she was slapped across the face.

"Why do you always lie to me!" Hiram yelled, slapping her again. He couldn't stand it anymore. He couldn't stand his daughter, lying to him as she rattted him out and he was going to teach her a lesson the only way he knew how. "P-please, I'm telling the truth! That's all we talked about!" Rachel said shakily, trying to hold in the sobs that threatened to escape, knowing they'd only make Hiram angrier.

"You bitch! You ungrateful, lying bitch!" He screamed as he released her chin and moved to her desk. Holding her smarting cheek with her eyes scrunched shut in pain, the small brunette didn't notice as Hiram walked back over to her bedside, a pair of scissors in hand.

Rachel was shaking. She had never felt this frightened, all the times that Hiram had hit her, abused her, never before had he ever scared her so much. There was something different about him, a wild look in his eyes that Rachel had never seen. Rachel couldn't help the whimper that fell from her lips as she felt a sharp tug on her hair, forcing her head backwards and exposing her neck where she felt a soft pressure.

"I warned you, Rachel, now tell me the damn truth! You told them, didn't you? You ratted me out and I'm going to make you pay." He sneered as he pressed the scissors into her neck with more force but not enough to make her bleed. Rachel's breathing was uneven and her heart was pounding as she stuttered out, "I'm sorry! P-please, dad, I'm n-not lying!"

A loud slam caught them off guard as the door to Rachel's room was flung open and hit the wall hard. Hiram reacted quickly to the intrusion, pulling Rachel up by the hair and keeping the scissors firmly in place ather neck. "Don't come any closer." He said through gritted teeth, backing away from Kurt and Quinn who stood in the doorway, afraid that he might snap and hurt Rachel. Both could see the small brunette shivering as she breathed erratically, held tightly in Hiram's grasp and felt helpless as they couldn't protect her.

The sounds of sirens could be heard in the distance and Quinn immediately saw a change in Hiram's eyes. He was constantly glancing at the window, scared that the police were going to arrive any second and he was losing his cool. She knew he was feeling cornered and it wasn't going to be long before he snapped.

Hearing the sirens nearing, Rachel felt relief and an overwhelming fear flood her at the same time. She was sure that the moment the police arrived, she would either be saved or she would be killed. It was a fifty-fifty chance. She swallowed thickly as she felt Hiram push the scissors harder while he yelled words she couldn't hear. Would this be it? Would her father finally end her miserable existence? Would he be stopped? Would he surrender?

_Unlikely._

As the police made their way down the street and towards the house, Quinn watched as pure panic and desperation filled Hiram's eyes and she prayed that the police would hurry. She could see the thread was being pulled and stretched until it was about to snap. They would never make it in time. Without much thought except for getting Rachel away from Hiram, Quinn ran forward.

Time seemed to slow as Rachel watched Quinn dashing towards her and she simultaneously felt the pressure on her throat disappear as she saw Hiram lifting the pair of scissors. This was it. She let out a quiet sob and closed her eyes as she waited.

**A/N Thanks to everyone, readers and reviewers alike! Please tell me what you think, it motivates me to write and improve. Also, if anyone sees the Glee concert movie, can you tell me if it's good? It opens here on 1 September and I want to know if it's worth seeing. Thanks and review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N Thanks for all the amazing reviews! I'm sorry for leaving you guys hanging but it's been a busy week. Anyways, enjoy! Also, please excuse any mistakes.**

Rachel took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. The sounds of the sirens was now defeaning and she could hear Hiram's erratic breaths beside her ear. She distantly made out Quinn yelling her name as a sharp, burning pain erupted in her chest, making her gasp and her eyes fly open. She barely registered her legs giving out under her and being pushed aside by her father as she clutched the pair of scissors now buried in her. Lying on her back, she watched as the blonde girl tried to wrestle with Hiram, attempting to stop him from escaping but furrowed her brows as her vision began to blur and the room seemed to spin.

Allowing her eyes to slip shut, Rachel let out a silent sigh. Maybe her father would actually be doing her a favour for once and this would be it, the end of her short life which had been filled with the pain of rejection and betrayal. She had spent each day holding onto a dream, a dream that would never come true, pushing forward in the hopes that someday, things would get better but they never did. They never would and she was too tired to continue. The pain was intensifying and Rachel was tempted to pull the scissors out. That would speed up the loss of blood, wouldn't it?

_Do it._ This time, she couldn't agree more. Her eyelids felt like steel curtains as she finally managed to open her eyes and tried to take another deep breath, bracing herself as she held the handle of the scissors in shaky hands. She was going to do this, she was going to end it all. It's not like anybody would miss her. Not Hiram, not Shelby, nobody. Her death would be of no loss to the world, in fact it would be a blessing. Everyone hated her, she was ugly, useless, worthless. How many times had Santana Lopez told her to go and kill herself? How many times had Hiram told her she was better off dead? There really was no argument.

She started to pull slowly but was stopped by a pair of pale hands that held hers in place. "Don't touch it, Rach." Quinn said quietly as she bent over the brunette. Quinn winced as her head pounded and a trickle of blood made its way down her forehead to her cheek but she kept Rachel's unsteady hands firmly in her grip. She felt a pang in her heart as she watched tears sliding out of the smaller girl's brown orbs and she lowered her head. She had failed to protect her.

When she had seen Rachel fall, the way her beautiful features had scrunched up in pain, she had never felt so enraged and she almost launched herself at Hiram who had kicked his daughter aside, preparing to make a run for it. She had fought him with all she had, but he was stronger and she stood little chance as he threw her onto the corner of bedside table. When she looked up, he was gone and so was Kurt. Hearing Rachel's whimper, she turned to the girl only to see her holding the scissors so tightly that her knuckles were turning white and starting to pull. She rushed over to the tiny girl, immediately putting a stop to the action and she thought she caught saw Rachel's eyes harden for a moment but was convinced she had imagined it. Why would she be angry at Quinn for preventing her from helping to ensure herself a death sentence?

"He's getting away, officers! Stop him!" Kurt's voice rang out from the hall. "We need some help in here, my friend's been stabbed!" He yelled once more before paramedics came rushing into the room. Squeezing Rachel's hands once more, Quinn slowly let go and allowed Rachel to recieve the medical attention she needed. A paramedic led Quinn over to the side, seating her down on the edge of the bed while he looked over the cut just below her hairline. The blonde barely noticed as he worked to stop the bleeding, keeping her eyes locked onto the small brunette still lying on the floor, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she struggled to breathe against the pain ripping her apart and her eyes slipping shut once more. Red was blossoming across Rachel's shirt at a steady pace and paramedics swarmed around her as they attempted to stabilize her before moving her.

As Rachel was brought out of her bedroom, Quinn ignored the protests of the paramedic tending to her and followed the small girl. She hurried down the stairs and out of the house, hot on the heels of the paramedics, where she met Kurt. The boy looked bad to say the least, he had a black eye forming, his clothes were ruffed up slightly and his hair was messed up. Together, they pleaded to be allowed in the ambulance with Rachel and without much argument, the paramedics agreed.

Sitting in the ambulance, Quinn held Rachel's limp hand in hers as another paramedic quickly helped her with her cut, resuming where his colleague had left off. "What is her name?" A lady seated beside Kurt asked. "Rachel Berry." Kurt answered automatically. "Is she allergic to anything?" She questioned. This made both Kurt and Quinn pause. They didn't know. They had never taken the time to know the girl, to find out these details about her. In all their years of being classmates, they had never bothered to get to know Rachel not that they had wanted to in the first place. It was a dog eat dog world and nobody could afford to associate with the school freak.

Ashamed, Kurt answered softly, "I-I don't know." The lady eyed him for a moment before turning her gaze to Quinn who shrugged helplessly. "Okay, thank you." After she spoke, a thick silence enveloped the vehicle as it sped towards the hospital. Quinn and Kurt kept their eyes locked on the unconscious brunette lying motionless and pale, each keeping a tight grip on one of her hands as though they were afraid that letting go would cause Rachel to leave them. They only snapped out of their trance as the ambulance came to a sudden halt and the doors swung open.

Feeling Rachel's hands slip from their own, they watched as the girl was lifted out of the ambulance and rushed inside. They quickly followed, unwilling to have the brunette leave their sight and only stopped when she was brought into the ER and a nurse prevented them from entering, leaving Quinn and Kurt standing helplessly in the waiting room.

As they sat waiting for news on Rachel, they were silent, not knowing what to say to the other. They just sat beside each other, holding hands as a form of comfort and support. They both hated the waiting room for more than one reason. Suddenly, a flash of brown hair caught their eye as a tall lady swept into the room and took a seat in a chair opposite them.

"Shelby? What are you doing here?" Kurt asked with barely concealed annoyance. He didn't like the woman at all, not after what she had done to Rachel.

_Kurt was walking towards his locker to pick up the history textbook he had left behind by accident when he passed the auditorium. It was around five and most people had left already so he wasn't too worried about being jumped by a group of footballers looking for some fun but stopped when he heard sobbing from inside. It was heart wrenching to hear and he quickly opened the door to see who it was, hoping to be able to provide some form of comfort. What he didn't expect to see was Rachel Berry in a red dress, sitting on the edge of the stage and holding a glass in her hands while tears ran down her face._

"_Rachel, are you okay?" He asked with concern. Just because he didn't particularly like the girl didn't mean that he wanted to watch her cry her tiny heart out. She was probably overreacting about something. "N-no." She replied so softly he had to strain to hear it._

_Moving closer, he moved to sit beside her and put an arm over her shoulder, pulling her towards him. Despite initial resistance, Rachel buried her face into his shoulder and sobbed. "Shelby... she... she doesn't want a relationship with me. She said... I-I wasn't good enough." Rubbing her back soothingly, Kurt shushed her, not knowing what else to do. Regaining some extent of composure, Rachel quickly removed herself from Kurt and stood up. She knew she had said too much. Clearing her throat, she thanked him shakily and left the auditorium, leaving a very confused Kurt sitting alone on the stage._

_He didn't know what had transpired between the mother and daughter or why the diva had pulled away so suddenly but what he did know was that the girl had been hurt by Shelby and that didn't sit right with him. _

Not paying any attention to Kurt's tone, Shelby answered. "Social services called me. They said something had happened to Rachel, that her dad had attacked her and she was now in hospital. They also asked me if I would be willing to take her in and I agreed. I need to make sure she's okay, I need to see her and talk to her, I need to make things right."

**A/N Thanks again! Hope this didn't disappoint, I rushed it a bit. Please review and I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N Thanks for all the awesome reviews! I wasn't sure about the last chapter but I'm glad to see that you guys enjoyed it. Hope you'll like this one!**

Kurt scoffed at Shelby's reply and rolled his eyes while Quinn just nodded and continued staring at the tiles beneath her feet. Kurt was tempted to tell the woman sitting across from him to leave, that she didn't deserve to be here after denying her child, that she had given up the right to do so, but he could see the regret, the fear and the pain in her eyes. She was Rachel's mother after all and like she said, Rachel was going to live with her. He couldn't make her leave, regardless of how much or how badly she had hurt the smaller brunette. Sitting back, he decided to ignore her and reached over to take Quinn's hand in his, squeezing it lightly.

Quinn was slightly surprised when Kurt took her hand out of the blue but she appreciated the gesture and squeezed back. She chanced a glance at Shelby who had her head bowed and couldn't stop her thoughts from wandering to Beth. No matter how she had been conceived or how much pain Quinn had endured from her pregnancy, she loved Beth. She loved her so much that giving her away had caused indescribable, immeasurable pain. Often times, she would go back to that one treasured memory, when she had her baby in her arms, reaching for her finger, the warmth that filled her and the immense love she felt. It was so unlike anything she'd ever felt before and she doubted she would ever feel it again. Her daughter now had another mother, the very lady sitting across from her. Shelby would be the one to shower Beth with love, she would be the one that Beth would talk to about her problems and call "mom", she would be the one that Beth loved. Beth would never know Quinn or love her, not like how Quinn loved her daughter and always would.

As Shelby's head rose and their eyes met, Quinn hurriedly diverted her eyes but Shelby kept hers trained on the blonde. She had been taken aback by the fact that Quinn and Beth had the exact same eyes. Shelby had thought and hoped that adopting a baby would fill that hole in her heart that giving up her own daughter had created but while she loved Beth so much, nothing had been able to replace Rachel. She had invested so much in trying to get Rachel to look for her and contact her but she had made the mistake of having a preconceived idea of what she hoped their reunion would be like and when it hadn't turned out as such, she turned away from the girl. She realised that she had missed so much in Rachel's life and even though she loved her, there wasn't any point being involved now. She had messed up so badly. She sighed as she thought back to a while ago when her world had been turned upside down and she had been granted another chance, one that she wasn't going to screw up at all costs.

"_Hey Beth, you're mama's little girl, aren't you?" Shelby cooed as she rocked the tiny baby in her arms. Beth was staring up at Shelby with bright hazel eyes, giggling as her mother ran her thumb over one of her rosy cheeks. Suddenly, the phone rang and Shelby picked it up, placing it securely between her head and shoulder, beside her ear._

"_Hello, is this Shelby Corcoran?" A voice asked. Furrowing her brows, Shelby answered, "Yes. Who is this?"_

"_This is Samantha Jackson from Social Services and I'm calling about your daughter, Rachel Berry. She was just sent to Lima General Hospital after being stabbed in her home. We suspect that she was attacked by her father and that he has been physically and mentally abusing her, unfortunately, he managed to escape and is now on the run. We were hoping that you, as Rachel's biological mother, would be able to take her in and aid in her recovery." _

_Shelby quickly moved towards the couch in her living room, afraid that her legs might give way. Hearing that the small brunette, the girl she had denied a relationship with, had been hurt so badly by the man who was supposed to love her and take care of her was almost too much to take. The pain and guilt caused by knowing that she could have saved her child if she had been less selfish was killing her inside and she wanted to cry._

"_Y-yes, she can live with me." Shelby managed to choke out as she wiped one of her fallen tears from Beth's forehead._

"_Thank you very much, Ms Corcoran. If it's alright with you, I'd like for us to meet up tomorrow to discuss Rachel's new living arrangents, any details or paperwork that has to be taken care?"_

"_Of course, tomorrow's fine." As the conversation finished, Shelby went to her room and placed Beth into her crib before changing out of her sweats. Her vision was clouded with tears but she managed drive over to talk to her neighbour who gladly agreed to watch Beth and Shelby sped off to the hospital. _

Shelby had never felt so sure of anything as when she had agreed to take Rachel in. The moment she understood Rachel's situation, something in her clicked and she couldn't, she wouldn't, say no. This was another opportunity given to her, one she thought she would never get again, and this time, she was going to take it and make things right.

"Are you here for Rachel Berry?"A doctor asked as he walked up to the three of them, snapping Shelby out of her thoughts. They immediately rose to their feet, eager to learn about Rachel's condition. "How is she?" Shelby questioned, concern and worry evident in her voice as it shook slightly.

"Well, the patient has been stabilized and will make a full recovery. The stab wound sustained in the chest punctured her lung but luckily, the scissors were not very large, meaning that the stab wound was not deep and as it had not been removed, only slightly dislodged, this helped to slow internal bleeding. We managed to repair the damage to her lung, although we are going to have to watch her breathing carefully. She also lost a significant amount of blood but she has already been given a blood transfusion and should be able to be discharged in a week or so if everything goes well." The doctor informed them, occassionally referring to a wooden clipboard in his hands.

"Can we see her?" Shelby asked.

"She's still being brought out of surgery but she will be allowed visitors soon. I'll come back to tell you when you can see her and in the meantime, you might like to fill up some of the necessary forms at the front desk." After the doctor had walked away, Shelby left wordlessly and headed in the direction of the lobby, wiping at her red eyes and leaving Quinn and Kurt behind.

Kurt had been flooded with relief at the knowledge that the small brunette was going to be okay and thanked whoever was out there for protecting the girl. He wasn't sure when, but he had grown to feel so much for Rachel and he knew the blonde beside him had too. Turning to the blonde beside him, Kurt was stunned to see tears rolling freely down her pale cheeks but quickly took her into his arms and hugged her.

"Hey, shh...don't cry. She's going to be okay, she's going to be okay." He whispered softly in Quinn's ear as he comforted her.

"I was just so scared." She whimpered. Quinn finally brought her arms up to return the hug. She had been unsure at first, never before had she cried like that in front of someone else and never before had someone offered her comfort. It was a foreign concept but one that was strangely welcome.

"So was I."

"Do you think she'll ever trust us?"

"Someday. We did some pretty horrible things to her before, but if we keep reminding her and showing her that we'll always be there for her, someday, she'll believe us and trust us. We just can't give up."

**A/N Thanks for all reviews and alerts! Tell me what you thought, it really means a lot to me. Thanks!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N Hey folks, hope you don't mind that I added Quinn as the second character, it's just that she plays quite a large role in this story so I thought I should. Thanks to all who read and review! I really am thankful that people are enjoying what I write and take the time to let me know!**

As they settled back into the waiting room chairs, Quinn and Kurt separated but kept their hands clapsed together loosely. It wasn't long before Shelby returned, her eyes still slightly swollen from crying, and finally, the doctor emerged once more to inform them that they could see Rachel. All three stood up quickly, moving in the direction of Rachel's room in silence.

As they were about to walk into the room, Quinn felt a hand on her arm, holding her back. Turning around, she came face to face with Shelby. The brunette's eyes refused to meet the blonde's as she quietly spoke, hesitance evident in her voice, "Quinn, can I ask you a question?"

"Um...yeah, okay. What is it?"

"Does Rachel know about Beth? That I adopted her?"

"No, not that I know of."

"T-thank you." Shelby ran a hand through her long brown hair as she sighed deeply. She knew from their most recent meeting that Rachel was still very upset and angry at her for her rejection and she had predicted that Rachel would not be pleased about having to live with her but she had been prepared for that. She would chip away at Rachel's walls slowly and she would prove that she was worthy of her daughter's forgiveness, trust and love. What she had not been prepared for was to have to break the news to Rachel that she had adopted a baby after pushing her away, that she had tried to replace her. That was probably going to be one of the largest hurdles in rebuilding a relationship with Rachel, especially since the girl that had called her 'mom' after one meeting was gone.

"You guys go in first, I need a moment." As she watched the teenager nod and disappear through the door, Shelby leaned her head against the wall behind and closed her eyes tightly, wishing that she could rewind time and change the past. She wanted so badly to correct the mess she had created, starting with giving up Rachel in the first place.

As Quinn entered the stark white room, her eyes automatically landed on the tiny girl lying in the bed placed in the center of the room. Rachel looked as though she were drowning in the overly large hospital gown where bandages were just visible below the neckline, she had an oxygen mask placed over her nose and mouth and the steady beating of the heart monitor filled the room. The brunette was pale and unmoving apart from the slow rise and fall of her chest and the blonde couldn't stop the heaviness in her heart at seeing Rachel so weak.

She had always regarded Rachel as the strongest girl she ever knew. The brunette seemed to be able to take anything others threw at her and turn it into the driving force she needed to achieve her big dreams. She would never let others get to her and their taunts and bullying had appeared to just roll of her shoulders.

Only now was Quinn beginning to realize how wrong she had been. The girl she had envied for the longest time for having impossibly strong self confidence and the perfect, loving family she had often dreamt of, the girl who actually had a bright future, wasn't who Quinn thought she was and Quinn found herself wanting to find out who the real Rachel Berry was, the one hiding beneath the big words and diva attitude. She was eager to discover the girl beneath the pretense.

Kurt had pulled up chairs on each side of Rachel and had seated himself on her right, holding her hand and squeezing it tightly. Moving to the opposite side, Quinn took Rachel's left hand and brought it to her lips, kissing it softly before laying it back onto the soft sheets covering Rachel's tiny figure. Neither knew when she would wake up, but both Quinn and Kurt were determined to stay and wait for as long as it would take.

It was soon evening and the sky outside the single window in the room had gone darker. Night was quickly approaching and Kurt had to inform his parents of his whereabouts, leaving Quinn alone as Shelby had yet to enter. Quinn had decided to just drop a text to her mother later because she felt no desire to abandon Rachel in case she woke up while they were gone. She had promised to be there for her and this time, she wasn't going to break her promise.

A soft murmur caught Quinn's attention and her eyes snapped towards Rachel who still had her eyes closed but had her brows knitted. Pulling her chair closer to the bed, the blonde leaned towards the waking girl and she held her hand as she encouraged Rachel to open her eyes. She needed to see them and know that the brunette was really going to be okay, that she hadn't let her down completely. As Rachel's eyes flickered open, Quinn immediately called the the girl's doctor in and he arrived in the blink of an eye, nearly throwing Quinn out as he told her, "Sorry, we'll need you to leave for a moment."

Standing beside the door with her back resting against the wall, Quinn spotted Kurt returning and Shelby nearby, giving her with questioning look. "She's up," she said to the other two and grinned as smiles spread across both their lips. They waited patiently and soon, the doctor emerged from the room, telling them that Rachel's vitals were good and it wouldn't be long before she wouldn't be required to wear the oxygen mask.

Feeling utterly exhausted, Rachel watched tiredly as three people made their way towards her. Quinn, Kurt and...Shelby, making her heart fall at the sight of her mother. Quinn gave her a small smile as she reached her side and asked quietly, "Hey Rachel, how are you feeling?" Rachel felt strangely at ease with Quinn but the moment the blonde stretched out a hand to take hers, she pulled hers away quickly and looked down. She didn't see Quinn's face fall slightly, knowing that Rachel still didn't trust her.

"Numb," Rachel answered weakly even though it was muffled by the oxygen mask. It was true. Thanks to the cocktail of pain medication she had been given, she barely felt the slight throbbing at her chest from the stab wound and it was hard to think properly. If she was honest, she was glad for the reprieve from the inner turmoil she often experienced but something, a question, was nagging at the back of her mind. "W-what's going to happen to me? When I'm discharged, where will I go?" She wondered, after all, it's not like people were lining up to take her in and other than Hiram and Shelby, she had no relatives.

"You're going to be staying with me." Shelby told her as she stepped closer to the bed. She was tempted to reach out and touch the girl, to provide her some comfort as she started to shake her head but Shelby didn't, knowing that she was the reason for Rachel's distress and stayed back. She had expected to be yelled at, to be told to leave, but she had not anticipated the girl's silent and controlled reaction.

Rachel couldn't believe what she had just heard. She didn't want to live with Shelby. She could barely stand seeing her without being overcome with rage and resentment, how could she live in the woman's house and be forced to see her everyday? Rachel tried so hard to push back the tears threatening to fall at the thought but failed as one made it's way down her cheek but couldn't find the strength to wipe it away. She wanted to give up, she really did. She was exhausted. Suddenly, she felt a warm touch on her face as a slender finger wiped away the stray tear. Looking up, her brown orbs locked onto Quinn's hazel ones in front of her and for once, she wasn't afraid to let them express her true feelings.

**A/N Hey guys, I know things have been a little rough, I'm just having a bit of trouble figuring out how to get this story where I want it so I hope you guys'll stick around and bear with me. Anyways, thanks again! I'd love to hear your thoughts so please review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N Thanks for all the reviews! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update this. Am I the only one who hasn't been receiving alerts from FF? Anyway, hope you'll enjoy! Review!**

Quinn's heart clenched at the pure pain and sadness present in the brunette's eyes. In that moment, she decided that she would do anything to make it disappear.

"I'm tired. Please leave." Rachel said shakily, trying to hide the tears in her voice. She didn't want the others in the room to see her cry, especially Shelby. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow," Quinn said softly, squeezing Rachel's hand lightly as she complied with the other girl's wishes. She knew the girl was exhausted just from her eyes and needed time to process everything that had happened. Pushing her wouldn't help and the girl needed lots of rest anyway.

The small girl sent Quinn the slightest smile when she turned back with her hand on the doorknob and she couldn't help but smile back. Kurt followed Quinn's lead and bid Rachel goodbye before walking out the door, leaving the small brunette alone with her mother.

As Shelby neared her bedside, Rachel flinched unconsciously and recoiled. "Hey Rach, I just-I wanted to apologize for everything. I'm going to leave so that you can rest, but tomorrow, I want us to talk. There's something important that I have to tell you. I know it's hard to forgive me for what I did but I need you to know that I've always loved you and I always wanted you, I just thought that by turning you away, I was doing the right thing for you." Rachel refused to look at her throughout her short speech, eyes glued to a random spot on the wall. Shelby sighed at the lack of response and lay a hand on Rachel's shoulder, squeezing lightly before she too left.

When the door clicked shut, Rachel finally let out the sob she had been holding back and tears ran down her bruised cheeks. The pillow grew damp from her tears but she couldn't care less. It hurt too much. All of it, but mostly, because her dreams had been shattered.

She had often thought about her mother over the years, especially those days when Hiram had deemed her performance poor or thought she hadn't put enough effort into her practice and would cane her and yell at her. She would lie in bed, crying and fantasizing that her mom would come and tell her she loved her, give her a hug and comfort her till the pain went away. When she met Shelby, she thought that perhaps her dream would finally come true, that she truly had found her mom who loved her for what she was and was going to be there for her but it had been too good to be true. Shelby had pushed her aside like yesterday's trash and learning that her so-called boyfriend had been sent by her mother to manipulate her, that had broken her worse than anybody ever had. She had been crushed.

She had liked Jesse, he had been caring, attentive, wanting to help her achieve her dreams but their relationship had been a lie. He hadn't loved her. He had just been carrying out her mother's orders and she had been naive enough to believe his lies. She had felt so stupid. She still did.

_Why would anyone love you?_

Why would anyone love her? There was nothing about her to love. No looks, no personality. Nothing. She couldn't deny that she wanted her mother to love her, even after her rejection. She wanted to desperately to know that she hadn't just been a job, a product exchanged for money but she knew it was unlikely. No one loved her, not even herself.

* * *

><p>Quinn crept into her house, aware that the house was silent and dark. Her mother was probably out at some bar, drinking her problems away. Getting a drink of water, the blonde was startled by a voice behind her.<p>

"Quinn, where have you been?" Judy asked, sounding half relieved, half exasperated.

"Out." Her daughter replied curtly without even turning around. Judy sighed and ran a hand through her long blonde hair.

"Do not give me that, Quinn. Do you know how worried I've been? You weren't home and you weren't answering your phone, I thought something had happened to you!" She said, hoping to try and make her daughter understand that she did care about her despite what she thought.

"Look, I'm sorry, mom. I was with a friend." Quinn said as she finally turned her body to face the older blonde before moving her glass to her mouth to take a long sip.

"Quinnie, what happened to your head?" Judy quickly rushed over to Quinn, trying to get a better look at the plaster on her head.

"Oh, that's nothing, it's just a cut." Quinn said as she brushed off Judy's hand. Noticing her mother had her coat on and was holding her handbag, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you going out?"

"Yeah, I'm just meeting someone." Judy replied, not meeting Quinn's eyes.

"Who?" The younger blonde asked, genuinely curious. After Russell had left, she hadn't heard of her mother seeing anyone.

"Your father."

"What?" Quinn was furious to say the least. How could her mother be seeing him after all he had done to her, to their family?

"I've been seeing him. We met up a few times for lunch and-"

"You're going to forgive him like that? What about the things he did to Frannie? She was your daughter, mom! And what about you? Wasn't he having an affair?" Quinn almost yelled, tears of frustration welling up in her eyes as she listened to her mother. She couldn't believe that Judy was seeing him let alone letting him back into her life.

"They broke up, plus he's been going for anger management classes. He's changing, Quinnie. What happened to Frannie was an accident, you know that."

"It wasn't. You never fooled me." Quinn replied icily. She had pretended to accept her parents' lies when she was younger but she wasn't going to sit back and watch that man force his way back into her life as well.

"He had his reasons, your sister was-" Judy tried to explain weakly, only to be interrupted.

"How does that justify anything he did to her?" Quinn screamed as she slammed the empty glass on the island in the kitchen, causing the sound to echo through the house and cut off anything Judy was about to say. A tense silence enveloped both mother and daughter as they stood facing each other, not meeting the other's eyes.

A minute or two passed until Quinn finally broke the silence and turned around to put the glass into the sink, speaking quietly, "Go, or you'll be late. Have fun." She meant it, sort of. She loved her mother, she truly did but she couldn't help but feel betrayed that she had been seeing Russell all this time.

"We were married for close to twenty-two years, Quinn. I love him, please understand." Quinn only nodded, unwilling to speak in case her voice betrayed the sadness she felt.

* * *

><p>As his legged jumped up and down impatiently, he cast a glance towards the front door. He had overheard Burt on the phone with Kurt and learned that his step brother was in hospital because none other than Rachel Berry had been hospitalized and curiousity was eating away at him. He liked the girl, maybe more than just liked, but she had rejected him at Regionals a year ago when he confessed his feelings for her. He couldn't help but want to know if she was okay.<p>

Hearing the click of the front door, he rose from his seat on the cushioned couch and stepped into Kurt's path, effectively stopping him. "Hey Kurt, where've you been?" The tall boy asked awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck as he attempted to start a conversation.

"That's none of your business, Finn." Kurt told him, trying to walk around the huge teen. "Wait! I just wanted to know how Rachel is." Finn confessed as he stopped Kurt once more.

"Look Finn, she's going to be fine, that's all you need to know." Finn huffed at his brother's reply. He wasn't going to let it go. He wanted to get to the bottom of it, chances were that what happened to Rachel was somehow going to be all over school the next day anyway. He just needed to find out what was true and what wasn't. Or he could just pay her a visit in the hospital.

**A/N Hey all, as much as I hate to say this, updates are going to be on hold for a while because of exams. I'll probably be back around early mid October and I hope you'll bear with me until then. To all those who hate Finchel, don't worry, I don't think they'll be happening here anytime soon. Anyway, please review! They give me motivation. See you guys later!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N Thanks so much for sticking with this little story! I'm back now and it's a slightly longer than usual chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

Walking into the already bustling school, Finn immediately kept his ears peeled for any news or more like gossip about Rachel's prolonged absence. He knew that the jocks and cheerios had begun to miss their favorite target and rumours were bound to spread about what had happened to her.

"Did you hear? Apparently Abigail saw police cars and an ambulance outside Berry's house yesterday." A dark haired cheerio told her friends as they listened intently, already fine tuned in the art of listening to and passing on gossip.

"Manhands Berry? What do you think happened?" One of them asked, obviously not concerned for Rachel's wellbeing in the slightest.

"Maybe she finally decided to off herself!" A redhead cheerleader said, causing her fellow minions to cackle loudly. Finn rolled his eyes. Rachel would never do that. At least, he thinks Rachel wouldn't.

He admitted to himself that if he was honest, he didn't really know much about the small brunette girl. Sure they had dated for a short period of time after Sectionals the previous year and had spent time together even before that, but other than the fact that she liked Broadway, singing and dancing, he knew little else. Her favourite colour for example, was it yellow or pink? Or neither?

Either way, it wasn't entirely his fault. Rachel had always been hesitant to reveal things about herself, often deflecting personal questions or only giving general, vague answers, especially when it came to her dads. She had told him that they were a happy family, that she was pampered by her two loving dads who doted on her so much. Yet, as far as he knew, they had never shown up for any of her performances, they couldn't even bring her to a doctor when she had lost her voice. Rachel Berry was truly a mystery.

Suddenly, the bell sounded through the hallway, warning students to hurry before they were late for their first class of the day. Sighing, Finn pulled his bag further over his shoulder and pushed all thoughts of Rachel out of his mind. Those would have to wait.

It wasn't long till it was time for Glee, possibly Finn's favourite part of the day apart from going home. All day, he had been hearing different reasons for Rachel's absence and he had even read some on Jacob's blog but her knew better than to believe them. The only way he could know for sure, was to actually visit the girl herself and that, he would. Being the first to arrive in the choir room, Finn took his usual seat in front and waited patiently for the others to show up.

After everyone had settled into their seats, they waited for Mr Schue to arrive. As Puck droned on and on about the newest Super Mario game, Finn let himself zone out and boredly, he scanned the room. People sat in twos and threes, chattering amongst themselves and ocassionally letting roars of laughter but truly, the most curious pair, the one which had caught his attention, was Kurt and Quinn, two people who rarely ever spoke other than necessary. When had they become friends?

"Hey, does anyone know what happened to RuPaul? I'm only asking because Sectionals is this Saturday and there's no way in hell that I'm giving up the chance to perform just because that thing doesn't turn up and we get disqualified. Seriously, I'm going to go all Lima Heights on her ass if she doesn't show just because she didn't get the solo or the duet." Santana spoke, disdain evident in her voice. Just by the tone of the Latina's voice, it wasn't hard to tell that she held no concern for Rachel's well being whatsoever.

"Yeah, don't tell me she's having another one of her diva tantrums. The girl can sing, but we're just as talented and it's time she got that into her big head and stopped being so damn selfish." Mercedes scoffed lightly. She'd had more than enough of the girl's attitude and wouldn't hesitate to knock her down a few pegs. It had always been the Rachel Berry show and the moment someone else was given a chance, the tiny diva would have a total diva fit until she got her way.

"Both of you shut up! I'm sure Rachel has a perfectly good reason why she's not here, alright? Glee club is too important to her, she wouldn't just ditch us like that because she was upset over losing a solo." Quinn said defensively from her seat, drawing many pairs of eyes towards her. Some were curious, probably beacause she had always treated Rachel as public enemy number one, some were doubtful, others understanding and there was Santana's. They were hard and radiated a chilling coldness with an underlying anger.

"What's up with you, barbie? When did you start defending the freak?" Santana barked, rising to her feet. Nobody dared to tell Santana Lopez to shut up. That was a death sentence.

"I grew up, Santana. I suggest you do the same and stop treating Rachel like your personal punching bag." Quinn said coldly, not even bothering to face the latina while she spoke.

Just as Santana started yelling in Spanish and attempted to pounce on the blonde a few rows in front while being barely restrained by Puck and Finn, Mr Schue walked into the choir room, once again finding it in a state of utter chaos.

"Guys! Guys, calm down! I could hear you all from outside and I don't like what you've been saying. We're a family and we don't go around talking behind each other's backs or blaming each other. We're supposed to look out for one another and I seriously thought we were getting somewhere. I'm so disappointed in all of you for not having faith in Rachel and for not acting like a team. Santana, don't worry, we're still going to Sectionals. Rachel's been away from school for a while now and although she won't be back in time for this Saturday, but we've managed to get Lauren Zizes to fill in for her temporarily. Now all of you sit back down." Will couldn't believe what he had been hearing. What had happened to them finally coming together as one? Had he been so blind to the fact that there was still so much conflict withing the club?

"Mr Schue, what happened to Rachel? Why hasn't she been in school for ages?" Tina inquired curiously. Sighing as he stopped in front of the black piano, he ran a hand through his curls before turning around to face the room.

"I'm afraid it's not my place to tell, but rest assured, she will be back in no time. Please do take it easy on her though, she's going through a difficult time now and she needs all the support she can get." He explained to the best of his ability. The teaching staff had been informed of Rachel's situation without proper details, but he couldn't stop the guilt he felt. He had truly misunderstood the small brunette and instead of helping her and watching over her, he allowed others to pull her down and he had even lost his temper with her more than once.

It all started to make sense to him now. The ocassional wincing when she thought no one was watching, the way she would plead for a solo as if her life depended on it. It probably did. He couldn't fathom that Rachel's dad had been hitting her, especially after all she had said about him and her perfect family. Then again, it didn't seem so far out when he recalled his one meeting with Hiram Berry.

"_Good afternoon, Mr Berry," Mr Schue said as he rose from his seat to shake Hiram's hand before sitting back down again, "I'm so sorry to have to call you down here but Rachel's behaviour in Glee club had been getting from bad to worse. She's seemingly unable or unwilling to work in a group, always demanding she be given the lead or she'll storm out and threaten to quit glee. I'm afraid that this is truly unacceptable and I hope that perhaps, you could talk to her about this." _

_After he had spoken, Mr Schue chanced a glance at Rachel who was being uncharacteristically quiet as she sat with her head lowered, hands clapsed tightly in her lap. He felt bad for her, but he couldn't let her get out of hand. She had displayed a horrible attitude one too many times and her father needed to be called in._

"_Of course, I understand, Mr Schuester. Rachel, what do you have to say?" Hiram asked his daughter harshly as he put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. Hard. Will, however, was none the wiser to the soft whimper that escaped Rachel's lips._

"_Well?" Hiram demanded, shaking Rachel's shoulder._

"_S-sorry! I'm sorry, Mr Schue. I'll try to be better." Rachel said, almost on the verge of tears. Her dad was angry with her and she could almost forsee what he was going to do once they got home. He wouldn't understand that she had done it all for him. He wanted her to be the best and that's what she was trying to achieve, what she was always trying to achieve. She could never meet his expectations._

"_It's alright, Rach. I just want you to learn that you can't act like that, that you have to kearn to give others a chance." Will explained, patting Rachel's arm. He gave her a small smile, hoping he had gotten through to her and was found it slightly odd when Rachel just stared at her feet, and only nodded ever so slightly in response. He didn't notice Hiram's eyes glaring down at the girl nor did he realize the bruise that was now forming on the soft skin underneath the other man's hand._

* * *

><p>Shelby's ears were deaf to the quiet humming of the car engine or the roaring of cars passing her as she headed towards the hospital where her oldest daughter was currently being nursed back to health. She had woken up bright and early, something she had yet to get used to despite having a young baby, and she had spent a large majority of the morning and early afternoon finding Beth a sitter, meeting with Rachel's social worker and doing proper research on the effects of abuse on children in general since she didn't know when Rachel's dad had started to abuse her or what forms of abuse her child had to endure.<p>

To say it pained her to know that her daughter, her baby girl, had been hurt by the man Shelby had trusted to love her and take care of her was an understatement. It was almost unbearable, especially the feeling that she had let her child down. She had failed her as a mother.

Finally, she found herself outside Rachel's hospital room door. After taking a few calming breaths and wiping at the her damp eyes, Shelby knocked on the dark wood and only opened it after a quiet voice told her to enter. Seeing her child awake and so alive, Shelby felt such immense relief that she almost ran up to Rachel to hug her. Instead, she chose to take a seat in the white plastic chair beside her bed.

"Rachel, I want to sincerely apologize for everything I've done. I know I've said that I'm sorry before, but I want you to know how much I truly mean it. Rachel, I was such an idiot for saying that I didn't want a relationship. I saw how much it hurt you, I felt the way you hugged me as if it was the last time you'd ever get to and still I left you knowing I had made a mistake even if I didn't know how big. After I gave you up, I felt so empty, like a part of me was missing and I thought about you every second of the day. What you looked like, what you were doing. I never forgot about you and when our reunion didn't go like how I'd planned, I was selfish and turned you away. I'm so sorry Rachel, I don't think you'll ever understand how much," Shelby paused for a moment, wiping at the stray tears running down her cheeks. She glanced down at Rachel's small hands twisted in the sheets and she had to curb the temptation to reach out to take them in her own and recieve the contact she craved.

"After Regionals, the emptiness remained and I couldn't stop thinking about you and how much I had missed with you and I wanted to ease all I felt so I...I adopted a little baby girl. Her name's Beth and she's a sweetheart but she's never been able to replace you in my heart. There's a place in there that belongs to you and only you," Shelby confessed. Despite her eloquence, she had never been good at expressing her feelings in words. It was so hard to find the words to convey her thoughts and sentiments but it didn't mean she wouldn't try, especially for Rachel. She deserved that much at least.

"You said you wanted a house, a family, a dog but you didn't want me. Wasn't I family? I was, am, you're biological daughter, did I really mean nothing to you? Why wasn't I good enough?" Rachel asked, putting on a brave front even though she was a mess on the inside. She had dreamt about Shelby wanting her back before but now that she was, Rachel found it hard to believe the woman. If Shelby could reject her once, what was to say she truly wanted her this time, that she was actually being sincere? Rachel tried desperately to dampen the hope rising in her chest. It was too soon and too dangerous.

"Of course, you are! You're more than good enough, I was just being foolish. I thought that you had loving parents and that you wouldn't need me, that I was only confusing you-" Shelby said finally giving in and moving to hold her child's fidgeting hands.

"You did that just fine by forcing your way into my life before forcing your way out." Rachel interrupted, her voice wavering with emotion as she jerked her hands back and held them together tightly. The resentment she held for Shelby shining through her seemingly uncaring exterior. Couldn't Shelby see that trying to protect her from confusion had hurt her even more?

"I know and I deeply regret it. I shouldn't have put you through that Rachel, you didn't deserve that. You didn't deserve any of this." Shelby told her honestly, meeting her deep brown eyes which were trying hard to conceal the sea of emotions she felt.

"I need to know. I need to know that this time, you're serious. Please." Rachel pleaded. She couldn't open her heart again just to have it crushed. That would destroy even more than she already was.

"I'm completely serious. I love you, Rachel, and I want to get to know you so badly. Can you let me? Please, I know I don't deserve it but can you just try?" Shelby asked sincerely as she reached out and took Rachel's hand. Shelby couldn't help the smile on her face or the tears in her eyes as Rachel allowed her to.

"Maybe. I think so, I just...I need time." Rachel spoke softly, looking away from her mother. She felt so vulnerable, too vulnerable and she couldn't help feeling like she was making a mistake. Shelby was going to hurt her again, it was just a matter of time but still, part of her wanted to forgive, part of her wanted to be loved and she couldn't deny that part of herself no matter how long she had tried to.

"Thank you so much! Thank you!" Shelby said gratefully. Her daughter was giving her a second, no third chance, and her heart swelled. She had never experienced such joy before, yet just knowing that she could correct things made her so glad. Inside, apart from the sheer happiness, was also anxiety. She was nervous about taking in a teenager, let alone one who had been abused and would take longer to trust her, because while caring for Beth had been almost second nature to her, maternal instinct, if you'd call it, but a teen was a whole other ball game. Still, she found herself oddly excited, looking forward to the moment when she would take Rachel back to her house. She couldn't wait to bring Rachel home.

**A/N Thanks for reading, guys! I hope this chapter wasn't too bad or draggy, it was kind of hard to write and I know my writing skills (especially in dialogue) leave much to be desired. Let me know what you thought!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N I can't tell you how sorry I am that it's taken me so long to update! Life's been pretty hectic but I hope I'll be able to update quicker soon. Thanks for sticking with me. This chapter's definitely not the best but I really wanted to get something up for you guys. Hope you'll enjoy!**

A soft knock at the door broke the silence that had fallen over the pair. It had been neither tense nor comfortable but something inbetween and it had been welcomed. The door slid open and a redhead, who Shelby could only describe as bright eyed and bushy tailed from just her appearance, walked into the room carrying a small tray.

"Hello, love! How are you feeling?" She asked in an overly enthusiastic voice. Her lips were pulled into the most optimistic smile that Shelby had ever seen in all her years of show choir that the woman was actually quite impressed. Even Jesse's was nothing compared to that.

Despite not receiving an answer or the slightest acknowledgement, the nurse continued to speak. "I sure hope you're feeling better, sweetheart! Well, it's about time for your painkillers, honey! You'll probably sleep for a while after taking them but I'm sure you can use all the rest you can get! I'm sure you're mom would agree, right momma?" Shelby only nodded and continued staring at the lady before her. Shelby was starting to have serious doubts that the nurse was actually a real person. Her smile was still plastered on her face, her eyes were wide and bright, her voice was too chirpy. It was unnerving, Shelby decided silently.

It really didn't take much to convince Rachel that she needed to have the painkillers, in fact, she was honestly quite welcomed them. She was exhausted both emotionally and physically and the constant ache in her chest was getting worse and worse to a point where it was almost impossible to ignore. She willingly took them with a bit of unwanted help from Shelby before she settled back down once more and closed her eyes, waiting for the medicine to work its magic.

Little over ten minutes later, Rachel finally felt herself begin to drift off. She hoped she wouldn't be haunted by her memories for once even if she knew she would have no such luck. Hope was meaningless, that was something she had learned from her father a long time ago. Everytime you got your hopes up, it was just an opportunity for them to come crashing down even harder.

Despite Rachel's hesitance to accept any help from Shelby to sit up and drink water, she didn't extract her hand from her mother's and for that, Shelby was glad. She wanted, no needed, the contact. The comfort it gave her to know that her daughter was really there, that she was really going to be okay. Time flew by as Shelby sat vigil by Rachel's bedside but it was soon time to pick up Beth from her babysitters house and bring her to her playmate's house. Sighing, she waited another five minutes, just watching Rachel sleep, before standing up.

"I'll be back, Rach. Sleep well." Shelby whispered as she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Rachel's forehead. She pulled away a few seconds later, unwilling to break the rare closeness she currently shared with her daughter.

* * *

><p>"<em>Where have you been?" He demanded, his voice booming through the house as Rachel ran through the front door. Her heart stopped. Hiram had seen her getting out of Shelby's car. She lowered her head and chewed her lip nervously.<em>

"_I-I-" Rachel stuttered, knowing she was in trouble. She wished she could rewind time and insist that Shelby drop her further up the road where her dad wouldn't see her instead of giving in when the woman protested and said that she would gladly drive her all the way to her house._

"_That woman. Who was she?" He cut her off in a tone that said he already knew who Rachel had been with. The small girl could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she kept them trained on her flats. If her dad saw her cry, it would only make him angrier. It was a sign of weakness and weakness was not tolerated. You had to be strong to succeed in life, especially if you were as much a failure as Rachel was told she was._

"_She-" The small brunette struggled to think of an excuse, anything to say that would spare her from Hiram's wrath. Unfortunately, her brain wasn't cooperating and she came up blank, something she knew wouldn't go down well with her dad._

"_It was Shelby, wasn't it?" He questioned, receiving a slight nod from the girl before him. "What were you doing with her?" He asked, taking a threatening step towards Rachel, causing her to unconsciously flinch and heart thumped loudly in her chest and her hands were sweating badly as she kept them tightly balled into fists._

"_I just needed some help with a glee club assignment and be-because you can't sew, I had to-" Rachel was cut off with a hard slap to the cheek. She stumbled backwards from the unexpected blow and cowered further under Hiram's cold glare, biting down hard on her lip to prevent a cry of pain from being released._

"_Aren't I enough? Don't I provide for you, you ungrateful wretch? That woman isnot your mom, she doesn't love you! She's just using you and once she's done, she's going to toss you aside like the garbage you are! You should be thankful for what I've done for you!" He screamed, slapping Rachel again._

"_I-I am! Please, I'm sorry!" She cried as she brought a hand to her stinging cheek and cupped the heated flesh. She clenched her eyes shut and this proved to be a mistake as a sudden punch to her gut winded her and sent her sprawling onto the floor. _

"_Get up!" He yelled, picking her up by the shirt and shaking her roughly. By this time, tears were running down Rachel's face as she whimpered. "Dad, I'm so sorry! Please don't hit me!"_

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Rachel repeated over and over as she tossed and turned in her sleep. When Quinn opened the door to the sight of the small brunette shaking, tears slipping out of her closed her eyes, the blonde ran over to her and tried to wake her up.

"Rachel! It's okay, you're okay!" She said, grabbing hold of one of Rachel's shivering hands. "Rachel, wake up! Nobody's going to hurt you!" Quinn told the sleeping girl as she shook her shoulder slightly.

Suddenly, Rachel's soft cried stopped and she opened her eyes blearily. Catching sight of a figure hovering over her, Rachel immediately began to panic and she closed her eyes again, curling into a ball as she braced herself for an impending blow.

"Rachel, it's me Quinn. I won't hurt you," the cheerio said gently, frowning as she took in the smaller girl's reaction.

"Q-Quinn?" Rachel asked, uncertainly.

"Yeah, it's me, Rachel. You're safe, there's nothing to be scared of anymore." She told the tiny teenager as she brushed some hair out of Rachel's watery eyes, still filled with much fear and pain.

"Thank you."

"For what?" Quinn asked, curiousity evident in her voice. What was there to thank her about?

"Y-You know...for caring." Rachel said, diverting her eyes. She wasn't used to being in this situation.

Quinn sighed as she took a seat beside Rachel's bed. A question had been nagging at her for a while and she had no other way to approach it than to ask straight out. She just hoped Rachel trusted her enough to answer.

"I'm just going to come out and say this but why didn't you tell us, Rach? Even if you didn't tell me or the cheerios, why not Finn? Didn't you guys date for a while? We could've helped you." Quinn looked her seriously in the eyes. She wanted to know why the tiny girl had chosen to suffer this alone. Was it fear? Was it because she had accepted it? Was it because she didn't think anything could be done to stop it? Was it all of them or perhaps more?

"What could they have done? More like what would they have done. Do you really think they'd care?" Rachel asked tiredly, she really didn't want to talk about this. It was much too painful. As if she needed reminders of the fact that nobody cared about her.

"What? Of course they would! We're a family." Quinn said, taken aback at the utter lack of faith Rachel had that glee club would support her. Then again, from what had happened in the choir room earlier, perhaps Rachel had some basis to her misconception even if Quinn was convinced that if any of the glee clubbers knew of Rachel's situation, they would've been more understanding.

"A family?" Rachel laughed bitterly. "All of you were a family, I was the outsider. I was, am, not welcome there. Nobody likes me. None of them would give a damn if I never stepped foot into McKinley High again, in fact, they'd probably be 'd think that after so many years I'd be used to it, but it still hurts to know that nobody would care even if you died."

"Stop it, Rachel! I would care, Kurt would care, Shelby would care and that's not all! There more people who are concerned about you than you know. Don't ever think you don't matter because you do." Quinn said as she took Rachel's hand in her own. This was the first time Rachel had ever opened up so much to her and to it was heartbreaking to know that the small girl felt that way. She should never have tried to tear Rachel down. Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets and all she could do was fix her mistakes, something she was going to make sure she did. She owed Rachel that much.

"That's sweet, Quinn, but we both know that's a lie."

"It's not, Rachel, trust me on that. We would've helped you, all of us even Santana. You're dad hitting you isn't something we would have ignored." Quinn told her, squeezing her hand for emphasis. How could Rachel believe that they would have left her to be abused by her father? Had they really acted so badly towards her that the girl truly believed that they didn't care at all? Yes, they had, Quinn realized sadly.

"I really wish you were right." Rachel replied flatly. It was too good to be true, it was too hard to believe. Santana? She was certain Quinn was taking it a bit too far, even for a lie.

"I am. One day you'll see." Quinn said reassuringly. She knew she was right because whether they admitted or not, Rachel was family and they all cared for her even if they never showed it, Santana included, regardless of how deep she had to dig in her heart to see that.

**A/N Thanks for reading! Hope it was okay. I'll do my best to improve! Please review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N Wow, it's been way too long since I last updated! I am so sorry about that, it's a major exam year and school's taking it really seriously so I don't know when I'll be able to get another chapter up. Reviews are appreciated! I hope this chapter isn't too bad, I'll make the next one better. Promise!**

"Good afternoon, Ms Corcoran. I wanted to talk to you today about Rachel." Dr Johnson said, gesturing Shelby to the seats in front of his desk. Shelby swiftly maneuvered her way through the small office and sat in one of the cushioned chairs.

"What about her? Is something wrong?" She asked, concern evident in her deep brown eyes as she sat up straighter in the chair.

"Well, yes and no. Her recovery is coming along remarkably well and she should be good to go in no time," He told her confidently.

"And?" Shelby prompted impatiently.

"Although Rachel hasn't admitted it, we have reason to believe, without much doubt, that she has been abused by her dad. Unfortunately, we don't know why, how or for how long and the damage that has inflicted on her. I think it'd be beneficial if Rachel spoke to one of the hospital's psychologists." The doctor explained as he clasped his hands before him on the neatly arranged desk.

"What if she refuses?" Shelby inquired.

"We have taken into account the fact that she might have trouble trusting others, especially adults, but these are trained professionals, familiar with such cases. However, if she really objects strongly, we can't force her into talking. That is why I was hoping that perhaps you could convince her to give therapy a chance." Dr Johnson said, finally arriving at the point of his meeting with Shelby. He was sure that Rachel would need help to overcome what she had been put through but that that help could only be received if she was willing to take the first step. Without her cooperation, therapy would be rendered much less effective.

"I'll try my best but I can't guarantee anything. We've only just started to get to know each other and I know she doesn't trust me yet." Shelby told him, lowering her eyes for a brief moment before Dr Johnson spoke again.

"That's all I ask. Thank you very much, Ms Corcoran."

"Is that all?" Shelby asked, eager to leave and go see her daughter.

"Yes, you're free to go," He said as he stood up to open the door for her, showing her out, "oh yes, you might want to tell Rachel that she'll be discharged soon and out of this dreary place."

"Of course." She replied, already one foot out the door.

She walked hurriedly towards Rachel's room where she had left her sleeping daughter some hours ago to run errands. As she rounded the corner, her heart jumped as she almost collided with a huge, lumbering figure.

"Oops, sorry!" She exclaimed, flustered. Quickly reaching her hand to the white wall beside her to steady herself, before looking up at the tall stranger in front of her.

"Oh, it's okay." He said distractedly before rushing off in the direction of the lifts. Shelby stared after him, brows furrowed. The boy looked so familiar but for the life of her, Shelby couldn't place his face. She was certain she had seen those light brown eyes and that lopsided smile somewhere before and the fact that she couldn't remember where was beyond frustrating. She didn't dwell on it too long though as there were far more important things at hand. Rachel, mainly.

She watched as he tossed the rose he was holding into the garbage can and disappeared into the lift before she continued towards Rachel's room. Outside, she could hear two female voices talking, one was Rachel, she assumed, and the other was likely Quinn but she couldn't tell what they were saying. She waited until both had gone silent then took a deep breath, letting it out through her nose as she turned the handle and walked in.

Two days later, Rachel's first therapy session had finally arrived. She really didn't feel like going. Walking into the small, cosy room, she was gestured to sit down by a small lady with dark brown hair, falling down onto her shoulders in soft waves. She gulped lightly but sat down anyway, curling into herself ever so slightly.

"Hi, I'm Amber and you are?" She asked kindly, smiling at Rachel, hoping to help ease her nerves. She inwardly sighed as she watched the small girl sit with her head down, legs curled beneath her as she fidgeted.

"Rachel." She squeaked, fiddling with the hem of Shelby's black sweat pants that she had lent to her temporarily, refusing to look up her therapist. She felt quite at ease with the woman before her but still couldn't help the need to protect herself.

"Well, since it's our first session, we're going to take things easy. What do you say?" She prompted, hoping to get the girl to look up at her. Rachel shrugged her shoulders but relaxed slightly, glad that she wasn't about to be grilled on her past and her thoughts. Amber noticed the loosening of Rachel's tense posture and smiled. Small steps were the key.

"Why don't we try and get to know each other better? Is there anything you want to ask me about anything?" Rachel looked up at this and nodded. She asked as many questions as she could about Amber's job, her family, anything she could just to keep the attention off her and avoid the possibility of being made to open up. Minutes flew by as she stalled and she felt relief flood her as she glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that time was just about up. It wasn't that the session had been all that bad, but she simply was not ready to talk about her...abuse. She was still having to get used to that word.

"Our session's almost over but before I let you go, would you answer one question for me?" Rachel's eyes shot back to Amber's friendly green ones and the woman could easily see the fear in them. However, she was gladly suprised when the small brunette nodded her head once more.

"Are you scared of your dad?"

"Yes."

"Do you love him?"

No, Rachel wanted to say, but she knew a part of herself still did. The part that held onto the memories of the man who had taught her how to ride a bicycle when she was ten, the man who brought her soup when she was sick and rocked her to sleep when she had nightmares. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't deny that she still cared about him.

* * *

><p>Lying on his bed, Finn replayed the scene in his mind for what must've been the thousandth time. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed, that he hadn't even had an inkling as to what Rachel had been going through. As a friend, as a boyfriend, had he really been that oblivious?<p>

Well, it wasn't like they had dated all that long. Maybe slightly over a week after Sectionals but he had only been to her house once. Then again, that one time should've been more than enough.

_They'd been making out on Rachel's bed, on top of the pink floral sheets, oblivious to the sound of the car drawing up in the driveway and the front door opening and closing. They were rudely interrupted by the sound of Hiram clearing his throat as he stood in the doorway. His arms were crossed over his chest and his posture rigid. Finn had just assumed that he, like every parent, did not appreciate finding his daughter kissing a boy on her bed, not anything more._

_"Dad?" Rachel gasped, jumping away from Finn as though she had been burnt by him and shooting off the queen sized bed. Finn glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. Surely such an extreme reaction wasn't necessay. Was it? _

_"Rachel, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend? Where are your manners?" Hiram said through a tight lipped smile. Rachel nodded ever so slightly, something she did out of habit to show that she had heard her dad's words, and cleared her throat softly._

_"Erm...Th-this is Finn, dad." Rachel told him quietly, clasping her hands together behind her back and lowering her head slightly to avoid Hiram's hard gaze. _

_"I'm her boyfriend. Nice to meet you, Mr Berry." Finn said with a broad smile, hoping to ease the palpable tension in the small room. When his outstretched hand was ignored, Finn ran it through his shortly cropped hair, feeling truly awkward. It was obvious that he wasn't very welcome here. Way to make a good impression, Finn! He scolded himseld. His mom had constantly reminded him that first impressions were kroo- crushel? Crucial, in starting a relationship off on the right foot._

_"Oh, uh...I guess I'd better go, it's kinda late. See you later, Rach!"He said hurriedly, hoping to make a quick escape before Hiram took out the shotgun. Grabbing his school bag lying on the floor, Finn stumbled down the staircase and out of the Berry household, leaving Rachel alone with her irate father._

On second thought, maybe that hadn't been such a wise idea. Definitely not.

**A/N Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. I estimate about a chapter or less before Rachel's out of the hospital and things can finally start picking up again, hopefully. Please leave me a review if you can, any comments or ideas you have. Thanks!**


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